The Tempest of Trust
by RexRock
Summary: [STORY COMPLETE!] Moments after Spyro's triumph against Cynder, a storm summoned him far away from the Dragon Temple, stranded in an uncharted and haunting land. His goal is to overcome this strange backdrop as well as finding a way back home. R&R please!
1. The Awakening

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

It's time once again for me to upload a fanfiction here. In spite of getting back into this more recently, this is actually my first solo-fandom fic since The Black Tide well over two years ago.

And it's in this one that I've gone to tackle my first EVER attempt at a fanfiction based on Spyro the Dragon, a franchise that I spent a fair chunk of my teen years growing up with alongside many PS1 classics. I ended up including said purple dragon in a few crossovers (most of which not even being fit for the site), yet after going through the later few titles in the series I thought I would feel more ready to write a fanfic on this particular scale.

Here's a brief synopsis. The idea for this is that not long after defeating Cynder at Convexity, Spyro suddenly sees himself in the face of a storm. Unable to save himself, he is left to drift to a distant land – a land where strangely enough, everyone knows his name but he doesn't know any of them. Oddly enough, there's always danger lurking around the corner, and so he's left to defeat this danger as well as find a way back home.

I see it more as a way to try and clear up some plot elements left behind from the end of the original series storyline, most notably from the conclusion for Shadow Legacy. It doesn't matter if you haven't played that title or not – even if you haven't, I've still been able to go through the critical points of the game brief enough to tie into the fiction's storyline nonetheless.

Let's face it. The Theoropolis Saga, my more recent entry to the site, ended up being a flop. I had a lot of fun writing it and all, but in spite of it I only had one consistent reader. I still really hope to gain some good feedback by being able to focus on just the one fandom at once this time, as well as being able to dedicate more time and energy to the writing as well.

I hope you enjoy reading it as well. What else can I say at this moment in time? Feel free to read, and if you want to drop a comment, please do so. Thank you very much for your time.

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

It was the Year of the Dragon. It was meant to be a time of peace and prosperity as the Dragon Guardians watched over the eggs granted at that time, waiting for them to hatch. 

_A dragon can be hatched and spawn any kind of color dependant of the egg that it hatched from. Red, blue, yellow, green, even black… it could mean so much to the capabilities of the being._

_It was also claimed for a prophecy that a special purple dragon can be born once every ten generations. And at the time of a more recent Year of the Dragon, that event happened._

**A Fan Fiction dot net Presentation**

_But unfortunately, not only the dragons know about it, but also a mythical being known only to the dragons as the "Dark Master" know about it as well. That night, he dispatched an army, aiming to dispose of the new arrival._

_But before it could be done, one of the guardians claimed the egg and left it to sail on an upturned mushroom head down a river, far away from the chaos that was ensuring inside._

_A Spyro the Dragon™ fanfiction by RexRock_

_The egg finally reached a family of fireflies, where the dragon was left to rise among them, believing that he was a dragonfly of monstrous proportions. Regardless, he accepted the world that he lived in as his own, living with his family for years._

_And that was until he discovered the ability to breathe fire, on a fateful venture that lead him to defend his dragonfly "brother" from a group of simian soldiers dispatched from a creature only referred to as Cynder._

_With that, he and his dragonfly brother left home and started to explore their true origins. Meeting with the dragon guardian that sent him down the river started to reveal the earliest trace of his true origins – his origin as an actual dragon._

_And so, his venture began._

**_The Tempest of Trust_**

_The dragon had a name, and his name was Spyro._

_He ventured across distant lands, saving the other fallen dragon guardians from the simian soldiers one by one, and in the process learning everything about what it means to become a valiant dragon warrior – a rare purple dragon with extraordinary power._

_It all resulted with being able to confront Cynder, whom in the end was being used by the mysterious Dark Master as a puppet to free him from his prison. In the end, she was saved, reverted to her natural form, and returned home._

* * *

As soon as his briefing with his companions were over, Spyro managed to relocate himself into a quiet area away from his peers, lying down gently and looking on at the sky from the position on his back. The scent of the chlorophyll and the cool air were enough to bring him out of touch with reality for several moments.

Yet in spite of that, his thoughts would go straight back to one sighting that he faced moments before his homecoming – having to go through Convexity, the air lock that acted as a separate void between the Dark Master and his home. The very thought of its surreal atmosphere, complete with flying fish, nearby planets and chilled air, can be enough to send shivers across the body.

Having to fight against Cynder - the monstrous black dragon that claimed the powers of the Dragon Guardians - was a colossal challenge in its own right. Even with all of his power within him, she still proved herself to be a very powerful adversary, even if she was his first.

"Spyro, look out!" exclaimed his dragonfly companion. "Cynder's coming right towards you!"

Quickly, Spyro turned to his right, and saw Cynder speeding towards him, breathing intense flames from his mouth that could temporarily burn his vision if exposed too much, but regardless would still make his vision feel as if he was walking directly through an oven.

He then made a charge towards her as soon as she sped past him, and just like that he jumped onto his back, digging his claws deep inside her chest. As soon as that happened, they both stumbled to the ground, clutching onto each other and rolling across the ground like tumbleweed among a desert stretch.

And just like that, his sight completely changed. Gone were the dark blue and purple colors, and there came a beautiful golden sky ahead of him. A black dragon still looked over him however, but her facial structure looked drastically more youthful than what the one he saw.

"Spyro, are you sure you're okay?" she asked him with a slightly raspy voice tone. "You've been having problems trying to re-focus for quite some time."

"I know", the purple dragon replied with a melancholic tone. "I already mentioned that the battle between us drained the last bit of our strength. That's why I needed to find somewhere to rest."

Sighing with a more hesitant look, Spyro brought himself onto both feet and observed his surroundings. A bright meadow was seen ahead of him, with the occasional red mushroom growth on either side as well as several large trees showering with gentle passion pink cherry blossoms falling gently towards the floor.

"Now that you mention our battle", the black dragon asked, "I suppose that you know anything else that could have happened at Convexity during that time, right? I'm just really nervous over the Dark Master's next move."

Spyro reluctantly responded with a nod. "I feel the same way. But there's no way that we can counter him in the state that we're in."

He lifted one of his paws and looked on at it. It may look empty, but the feeling that remained upon lifting it showed signs of weakness, which were easily transferred to his eyes. Maintaining that glance, he turned around and walked slowly, back where he came.

"We need to give in some more time. Then we'll make a decision on how to tackle him, if he starts to become a direct threat again."

He looked on ahead of him, and saw a giant temple overlooking the entire area. Blinking gently, he made his walk towards it and started shifting his way towards the right hand side of it, looking cautiously towards the ocean view that was shown towards his right.

Like an anxious puppy, the black dragon followed him, making more tentative footsteps towards him. As soon as she reached him, she sat down gently and looked on at the view with him, with the winds gently blowing and allowing for a slightly chilled sensation to show across her flesh.

"Now that I think of it, couldn't this Sparx character do anything to protect you?" she asked Spyro with a blink.

"I don't know", he shook his head slowly. "We may be best friends and all, but the biggest problem was that he seemed to be under prepared for the experience we faced together."

Just like that, Spyro looked down, with the black dragon looking on at him. Surely he must be referring to the dragonfly that was always flying around with him, she thought to herself. And as if he was reading her mind, he looked back at her with a worrying yet truthful glare.

"I just wish he could overcome his fears and start standing up more for himself, as well as being able to travel with me for the sake of the friendship connection."

"It'll come in time", reassured the black dragon. "You two are the same age, so I'm sure that he could mature in time for that."

Smiling gently, she brought her tail towards his, and towed it around him gently like a lock on a ponytail. The reassuring feeling was more than enough to show a smile on his face in reply, no matter how small it could be, and react by starting to brush his tail gently against hers.

Regardless of the comfort granted back from the black dragon, his eyes still showed a slight sense of insecurity. That was soon reflected back upon her as well; in a sudden movement, she ended up standing up on all fours and looked around her immediate area, her evening shadow shifting gently among the grass reeds below.

"Now that we brought him into the conversation, where did he go?"

She took a small step to the right followed by a skip towards the entrance of the building. And then she made a slight dash further out into the meadow, maintaining that moderately perplexed expression. Spyro soon followed suit, albeit looking a slight amount more optimistic.

"He can't have fled to his parents early, couldn't he?" she asked hesitantly.

"I doubt it", shrugged Spyro. "Just as I left them, he came to me and stated 'best friends belong together', quote unquote. He might be just finding some time for himself."

Thinking carefully about the possibility of the dragonfly's decisions, Spyro sat down among the grass and looked up ahead. The sky started to show a small lining of clouds starting to drift above, each of them covered in a contrastingly dull shade of pewter.

His calm facial expression remained the same for a short period of time, but that was until… it started to drop. A strange chilled sensation started to flow upon his flesh, yet it felt to be significantly more unnatural than the air currents that graced the meadow initially.

"Now what?" the black dragon cautiously approached him.

"Cynder, be careful", addressed Spyro. "I think I can sense a strange presence in the air."

Spyro looked upon the sky, with Cynder – the black dragon – looking up in response. Several moments passed, and not long after that, her face started to show a slightly unconvincing glare upon her. Sighing, she stood up and leered back towards her accomplice.

"It doesn't feel any different from your natural wind current", Cynder sighed.

"It does to me", the purple dragon replied more convincingly. "This must be the same kind of wind force that I felt when I saved you from Convexity."

"What? If that's the case, how come it's not strong enough to suck us in?"

But then… before anything else could happen, a distant thunderclap was heard. Both dragons looked ahead, and right in front of them, the sky started to turn into a slightly duller shade than the usual. Even the cloud lining started to become increasingly thicker in that time.

The wind currents then started to pick up in speed, getting to the point that the grass and tree leaves started to blow more vigorously over time. It didn't take long until much of the grass reeds were left to blow with their tips shown to be directly horizontal, pointing towards the direction of the current.

"The grass!" Cynder quickly reacted to the sight of it, turning towards Spyro in the process. "What's happening?"

"We must find shelter now and ask questions later. Let's head back to the temple!"

Gritting his teeth tightly, Spyro started to make his run back towards the temple. His pacing was very brisk in spite of the coming winds, and the two elements combined ended up leaving him to form deep footprints among the soil that was graced beneath his feet.

Cynder soon made her own pursuit, making a similar dash, but it was too late for her to achiever her maximum running speed. Just like that, she ended up slipping from her position, sliding upon the grass on her back, with the winds starting to push her backwards inch by inch.

"Spyro, help!" she called out towards him as loud as she could.

Quickly, he turned around and saw her starting to slip. With panic showing on his face, he made a mad dash towards her, being careful not to slip and get towed into the currents himself. Eventually, he reached her, where she ended up resorting with holding onto an upturned rock for safety.

"Hold onto my tail, quick!" he cried out to her upon arrival.

With most of his paws holding onto the rock, he brought his tail towards Cynder's front paws like a lasso, leaving her to quickly grab onto it and reclaim herself onto all fours once again. And then, they both started to run straight through the growing currents together, with only a few inches separating them.

The sky above them started to transform from its golden colour to a worrying shade of dark orange. Even the change in color wasn't enough to show panic upon Spyro's face at all, as he continued to charge his way through the currents with such courage and care with every footstep made.

Cynder, however, struggled slightly to try and keep her footing. But whenever she did, Spyro backed down slightly and brought out his tail again to try and support her up. This happened several times between the rock and the halfway point between there and the temple.

"Come on, Cynder", Spyro called out to her with a slight hint of impatience. "We're just a few steps away. We'll get settled back inside."

"But what if I can't hold on?" she shouted back with concern.

"There's no 'what ifs'. Trust me on this!"

Showing a determined facial expression, Spyro started to run once more, but this time it was to the point that the currents were strong enough to actually start slowing him down. Even at that point, the grass roots that were beneath his feet were slowly being torn away by the force of the wind.

Continuing to maintain a determined facial expression, he continued to plow ahead either way, being sure to focus on his footing and Cynder's pursuit at the same time. Yet… it didn't take long until one of the damper parts of the meadow left him to suddenly slip up and land on his stomach.

"My footing!" Spyro reacted with panic.

"I've got your back!"

Quickly, Cynder made her run straight towards Spyro and used her tail to tow him back onto all fours. By then, the wind currents were almost unbearable, to the point that if any of them could make a sudden stop, they would end up being sent flying back a foot or two.

There, they both ended up holding onto each other, with their tails locking onto each other and each of their front legs being locked as if they were walking in a three-legged race. They looked on at each other, knowing that the storm was certainly not going to get any better.

"We can get through this together" the purple dragon persuaded her. "Come on!"

And with great determination, Spyro and Cynder cooperated together, braving the storm while holding onto each other for support. By then, most of the grass roots were upturned, allowing bits of reeds to end up starting to be sent in their direction, attempting to blind them.

It wasn't long until they finally reached the step that lead straight towards the interiors of the Dragon Temple. There, they soon made a stop, and looked straight on at the interior – the warm torchlight and brighter colors made it feel so safe and rewarding for their coming efforts.

"Cynder, just take a hold onto the footstep and climb it yourself!" Spyro commanded to the black dragon as he released his grip on her.

The command left her to start making a tight grasp towards the ground beneath as she tried to pull her way towards the front step. It almost looked as if she could be unable to reach the step, yet in a daring leap of faith, she ended up clutching onto the step as if she was struggling up a steep cliff.

"That's it!" the purple dragon called out to her proudly.

With a face filled with determination, she – with the help of Spyro supporting her from behind - pulled herself straight up the stair and made her way straight towards the next. Another brave climb soon saw her secured straight inside the Dragon Temple, out of the hazard of the braving winds.

Spyro saw that he was then ready to follow suit. In an equally daring leap, he managed to make his grasp upon the step and started to make his climb to the next, but it was by then that the winds were too strong for him to keep his footing firmly on the ground.

"Spyro!"

Cynder's shout of encouragement wasn't enough as Spyro suddenly slipped his hind legs to the point that he was left to hang on the lower step once again. With a worried glance, the black dragon made her rush towards him, her green eyes showing deep concern for her companion.

"I can't hold on!" he winced with a struggle. "I'm… too weak…"

"Just hold onto the step! I'm coming for you!" Cynder called out valiantly.

True to her word, she made her rush back towards the second step, hung down and outstretched her tail to try and reach for him. Yet in spite of her best efforts, he struggled to find any form of means to hold onto her for support, thanks to his current situation.

Hesitantly, she turned around and picked up a loose pole at the side of the interiors with her mouth, before returning to the scene, hoping to get it out ready for Spyro to grab onto as she sent it straight out into the vicious open shown straight ahead of her viewpoint.

One glance at the pole was enough for the purple dragon to try and swipe towards it. He knew that it was then or never as he swiped towards it and clutched on… only for the force of the stick to start to struggle in the storm. And eventually… it snapped in half, causing both Spyro and the other half of the pole to be sent flying into the abyss.

"Cynderrrr!" he cried out to her as he was sent further and further above.

"Spyro!" she gasped, dropping the other half of the pole on the floor. "Where are you going??"

Cynder's shouts from the scene were not enough to reach Spyro as clearly as she anticipated. All she could do was look on, and see the purple dragon get towed further and further away, through the heavy storms that intensely surrounded his field of view.

In spite of his struggle, he surrendered his body to the might of the storm, leaving him to make his fall wherever possible. Wherever he would land would not matter; as long as he would practically survive the wind currents all in one piece that was all that mattered.

As soon as he reached his highest point in the sky, he suddenly felt a change of scenery – an envelope of darkness that covered his eyes with a thick canvas, followed by the sound of silence. At the sense of that, he knew that there was absolutely nothing that he could do at that moment in time.

* * *

Several moments later, the stale air around him started to change dramatically. A trace of another wind current commenced to blow around him; however in comparison to the storm at the temple, it was felt to be considerably milder as well as becoming increasingly colder.

It didn't take long until the darkness suddenly started to take more of a shape. A brief blur of gray was shown in front of his eyesight, and it was there that a blur of a wide-armed creature was shown right in front of him, with a monstrous face to rival that of any soldier he might have faced.

A cackle was heard from the creature – one that would match with that of a screeching dreadwing if it had the potential to be able to do that. As soon as it finished, a faint glow of yellow was shown to go right across its eyes, lighting like a pair of high-energy light bulbs, yet were unable to penetrate the darkness.

And then, it brought up one of its hands, holding what looked like a strange horizontal object. The strange dark textures were too difficult to identify it immediately, yet what was witnessed from the tip though was a strange flow of indigo that surrounded it with a feel of fear.

What is that figure ahead? Could that be some kind of nightmare monster, or even worse, the Dark Master himself? In spite of wanting to see the shapes so much more clearly, Spyro felt absolutely powerless to do anything about this mysterious figure at all…

"Spyro, can you hear me?"

The blur started to change shape, and over time it slowly started to become slimmer and slimmer, to the point that it started to become less inconclusive and more significantly masculine. The colors even started to become significantly brighter to match, shifting from the blacks to an awkward shade of brown.

The colors continued to get brighter beyond there, and it was there that white was soon seen. The blurs then completely vanished, and right there, a hand was seen. Two fingers were held into the air in a peace symbol, held firmly into the air as firm as peas in a pod.

"Look at my hand, buddy. How many fingers am I holding up?"

The purple dragon quickly brought himself to a conclusion to the creature's identity. "…Sparx?"

Spyro looked straight on at the figure in front of him. Right there, he identified the creature to be Sparx – a yellow dragonfly with deep teal eyes, with a pair of antennas that blew gently upon the wind and four white wings gracing upon his back. He looked back at him, folding his arms slightly and showing a slightly toothy leer back.

"Great, welcome to the storm recovery club", he replied with mockery. "I never thought it could be bad enough to send you flying this far."

Spyro's eyes widened quickly. "I did _what?_"

With a slightly hesitant facial expression, he brought himself back on all fours and looked around his surroundings. All that he could make out was a gritty cave, complete with shades of blue and gray among the rocky structures that formed it. The stale atmosphere inside led him to look back towards Sparx with a hint of panic in his eyes.

"Tell me, what kind of place is this?" Spyro quickly asked while clashing his head with the dragonfly. "And for that matter, how did you get this far?"

"Oh, I was just taking a stroll around here, minding my own business", Sparx explained as he hovered back to his original distance from the ground. "I never thought I'd get as far as this doozy of a cave, but you know me, I can get too carried away at times."

With a slightly sarcastic look, Sparx hovered his way towards another end of the cave, allowing for a set of small yellow balls of light to trail down underneath him as he hovered higher and higher towards the ceiling. Tapping onto the walls was enough to know that they were in a genuine underground location.

Showing a slightly worried look, he ended up hovering his way straight down towards the ground, the glistening yellow glare still showing around him. As soon as he reached Spyro's level, he ended up resorting with lying on top of his head, his back twisting like a magician's pencil.

"Still, do you know of a way back to the Dragon Temple?" Spyro asked as he tried to make eye contact with his partner.

"I could if I knew the way I came. This place is so twisting with all these different paths it's unbelievable."

Sparx ended up sighing as he made his roll towards the ground. Once there, he ended up bringing a finger out, trying to demonstrate his points by attempting to draw his directions from the Dragon Temple to their current location. Yet in the end, all that was shown was a mass of curly lines that resembled more like a plate of pasta.

Growling, he ended up using the rest of his hand to scratch it off and turn it into a murky surface. That as a result left his fingertips to be completely covered in grime; not even trying to brush it off amongst his body was enough to remove it straightaway.

"I suppose we can only try and get used to our bearings", the dragon reluctantly spoke. "Which way is out?"

"I may be no Einstein on the matter", Sparx began speaking as he rolled his eyes. "But I suggest we step into the light ahead."

With a face that almost spelt irony, Sparx pointed his way towards a nearby exit. And true to his word, a burst of white light was shown bursting out from it. Upon witnessing it, Spyro immediately started approaching it, with his dragonfly accomplice not too far behind.

"And your draining of power from the fight against that sexy Cynder was that bad?" Sparx questioned him with a questionable tone. "Sheesh, I can't believe I'm destined to become your loyal caretaker."

Upon the remark, Spyro quickly stopped and turned towards Sparx, as if to say 'what was that supposed to mean' with a slightly annoyed facial expression. That left the dragonfly to sheepishly take cover behind the dragon's head, hiding from view for only a few moments.

Knowing that smart remarks would only get them nowhere at that moment in time, they both pressed on ahead and continued to make their way towards the light. And as soon as they got there, they felt a more pleasant wind start to blow among their flesh, knowing that they have both made their way towards the outdoors.

All that remained from their exit from the cave was a pathway that led its way through a surreal landscape of rocks, plants and grasses. And so, they went further and further ahead, knowing by the structures that they could be further away from the Temple than anticipated.

* * *

It wasn't long until the path started to become less rural and slightly more populated. Several buildings were seen poking over hillsides, and the very structure of which somehow started to leave unsettling facial expressions upon Spyro and Sparx as they came closer towards them.

They soon went around a nearby corner, and right there, they saw the buildings in full view among several others. If they were able to identify habitats like that, they would know for sure that they were in a village. Yet, if anything could look more puzzling, it could be the residents that would reside there.

"What kind of society is this?" the dragon started to puzzle himself.

Spyro looked straight to his left, and he saw a tall lizard creature holding onto a grocery basket, giving it towards a nearby bear in Arabic attire. He then looked to the right and saw another one, talking with a cheetah holding a crossbow. Blinking with a slightly insecure expression, he looked back at Sparx while maintaining it.

"Are those…" he started asking, but he soon paused. "No, they can't be."

"Come on, let out your feelings", assured Sparx as he held onto the dragon's cheeks. "We've been best friends for God knows how long, so surely you can't share something as trivial as the creatures that live in this village, right?"

As much as Spyro didn't feel like admitting it, he felt that he had to. He looked on at the walking lizards around him, further observing their stances. A distinguished set of wings, spikes down their back, straightened horns, claws and ridged stomachs made them distinguishable enough to be lizard-based in structure.

"I was claiming that they could be dragons", he started to respond back, "but I haven't seen any being adept enough to walk on their hind legs."

"Two-legged dragons, huh?" puzzled Sparx.

"And what's this fur that they're wearing as well?" Spyro remarked as he saw one walking around wearing a grass skirt. "I can grow to the idea of the Atlawa and Manwersmalls wearing furs like that, but not dragons."

"For all we know, they could be a different species than us", Sparx remarked with a shrug. "But do you honestly think that I'm going to become a biologist when I grow up?"

Sparx's brash comment suddenly left Spyro to give out a confused blink as he turned back towards his partner. The dragonfly could only just sneer as he brought himself into a graceful bow followed by a full spin on the spot, cackling gently as he managed to do that.

"I rest my case."

"Still, if they could help us find our way back to the temple, it might be required to ask them", hypothesized the dragon.

Looking slightly more determined, Spyro made his footsteps towards the town, walking gently and further into the center of the village. Sparx wasn't too far behind, leaving him to leave a trail of yellow lights as he went closer and closer towards his companion.

In spite of the village showing itself to be optimistic in terms of some of the personnel that were there doing their daily business, the strange feel of the creatures were enough to send a sense of unease around the pair, flowing through their blood like ice cubes in a volcano.

"Sparx, wait", Spyro commanded his companion, coming to a screeching halt.

"What?"

Looking tenser than the usual, Spyro brought up one of his paws to stop Sparx in his tracks. And there, they both noticed something odd – they were feet apart from any building, yet they were still enveloped by an eerie shadow that was cast directly above them.

They looked up, and right there they ended up fixing their eyes straight towards what looked like a cloud in the shape of a galaxy. Yet, identifiable shapes including rounded planet-shape objects and hexagonal platforms along with a color scheme with varying shades of blue, purple and red were enough to clearly identify it.

"That cloud", the dragonfly stared at it with awe. "It looks just like what we saw at Convexity, minus the weird looking flying whales that we saw there."

"I can see what you mean, but it feels too timid for the Dark Master to deal with that", replied Spyro with a gentle shake of the head.

Sparx, however, didn't look too convinced. "But it might still govern this strange place to some extent. Maybe even worse than whatever democracy could govern the world back home if any."

Shrugging, Sparx made his way further down the street, going down there by his own accord. Looking cautious, Spyro soon followed him, looking concerned for his own safety. No one would really know what kind of reaction that they would get from the villagers that would reside there.

Yet, just before the dragon was able to catch up with him, the dragonfly suddenly made a zoom straight towards the left, leaving them to briefly get separated amongst the midst of alleys that surrounded them. Silence enveloped the area briefly, right until…

"…AAARGH!"

Spyro quickly turned to the direction of the shout. "What is it?"

"Look!" Sparx replied from a distance, sounding shaken. "Look over here…!"

Upon hearing Sparx's response, Spyro soon made his pacing straight towards him, now clearly finding him at the end of a smaller alley. And there, they brought their eyes straight towards the strange yet familiar sight that was witnessed right in front of the dragonfly's eyes.

There in front of them was a campfire, complete with a series of creatures dancing around them with a joyful yet disturbing jig. The anatomies of the creatures were enough to know that they had a similarity – a similarity to the soldiers that once served under Cynder.

"Those soldiers", Spyro began confirming his suspicions. "They look just like the creatures that assaulted us while I freed the dragon guardians!"

"Those monkey guys!" Sparx looked at them almost bitterly. "I thought they were all but gone when Cynder was uncorrupted!"

The sight of them was enough for Sparx to quickly take cover behind a nearby post, trying his best to escape from their field of view. All that Spyro could do in reaction was look towards Sparx's direction, concerned over the point of hiding from creatures that were unable to see them.

The least that the dragon could do was watch them as they danced, drank and conversed with their peers almost too joyfully than anticipated. But it wasn't too long until one of which raised its hands straight into the air, sniffing in the air. In a quick reaction, it pointed straight towards Spyro and Sparx, knowing that it managed to sense intruders coming into their camp.

"They've spotted us!" Spyro exclaimed with alarm. "I don't think we stand much of a chance at a time like this."

"Quick!" Sparx pointed towards a nearby willow. "Let's take hiding here!"

Just like that, they made their roll straight underneath the lowest tree branch, taking hiding among the shadows inside it. And as they did so, the monkeys tried to keep searching around their surroundings for them, looking more and more hesitant as time went on.

Back in the shadows, the dragonfly was left to recompose himself in the little space that he had, while the purple dragon was keen enough to look on at the soldiers. They almost resembled the simian soldiers that initially served Cynder and the Dark Master, but their faces looked more canine and/or lupine in structure.

"Some of those creatures look different too" Spyro confirmed his observation. "I can't sense much of connection to the soldiers we faced or anything."

"If you want an opinion out of me chief, I'll just refer to them as 'fuzzy frogweeds'", shrugged Sparx. "That's possibly the only thing on my mind at the moment."

The remark left Spyro to suddenly turn to Sparx, whom was seen trying to snicker in response at the looks of the creatures that were around them. Yet, in spite of his light-hearted response, that somehow left them to show facial expressions of concern as they looked at the creatures surrounding the tree once more.

They continued searching around their immediate area, trying to trace the pair, but over time, they started to become less and less convinced that they could be found. Eventually, one by one they started to leave and return straight back the way they came.

And just as when the last one managed to leave the scene, the pair managed to get out from the tree branch that completely covered them and re-emerged into the open. They looked to the left, and then to the right; at that, they knew that the creatures will be unable to make their way back.

"That was almost too close", smiled Spyro with a sigh of relief. "But what could they be doing at a time like this?"

Sparx reacted with a shrug. But in spite of their reassurance of the escape, the appearance of those soldiers could only add to the mystery of the village. With that thought in mind, they both made their way straight towards the area where they saw the black cloud once more.

"And what explains the black cloud?" Spyro asked his companion once again. "I still believe that it doesn't feel as strong as what the Dark Master could usually do."

"Spyro, is that really you?" shouted a distant young voice.

The voice left them both to look around their immediate area for it. It was sensed for it to end up coming from straight ahead of them, but in spite of that, no creature was seen in their sight. The voice left Spyro to suddenly make a jump to a conclusion regardless of the lack of form presenting it.

"Cynder?"

Sparx instantly shook his head as fast as a pendulum. "Nah, the last time I checked she spoke like she had a cup of water down her throat. This voice sounds different."

As soon as Sparx mentioned the water comment, Spyro looked straight on at him with a slight leer in his eyes, leaving the dragonfly to quickly use his hands to cover his mouth. Before anything else could happen, however, the sound of footsteps was heard ahead.

"Yes, it IS you!" shouted the voice again.

The voice led them to look on, and right there, there stood a small creature standing on two legs. But it wasn't shown to be a dragon – it was shown to be a rat-like creature with brown fur around him, with occasional traces of peach among the lower half of his face.

A green backpack and a blue cap with matching shoes and gloves graced his body, complete with golden yellow goggles that were placed on top of his head. His iris-less eyes showed an enthusiastic expression as he started to make his run towards the dragon, his arms outstretched.

"I can't believe you're still alive, after everything that has happened in the past six months!" the creature smiled happily as he brought his arms into an embrace around the dragon. "Man, I need to tell the professor! He will be so happy for you!"

"What are you talking about?" Spyro quickly pulled himself away from the creature. "I never knew a "professor". And I've only just met you as well."

"You mean…" the youth paused. "Have you lost memory of all that is here?"

With a face of worry, the rat-creature looked towards the dragon, trying to get as much of a response out of him. Yet, all it caused were for them both to remain in silence for several seconds. Sighing with hesitance, the creature lowered his arms and looked down to the ground.

His focus was brought upon the dragon's feet with that instance. Not long after that, his thoughts started to become slightly more hesitant as he slowly brought his head up towards Spyro's head. Continuing to shake, he crouched down one knee and placed one hand upon his shoulder.

"Spyro, can't you remember me, Blink the Mole?"

The dragon paused for several seconds, trying to recall the name, yet nevertheless it drew up a blank. "I'm sorry, but I still don't know you. I also don't know of any 'moles' either."

"I do, though it's more of the annoying kind that pops out of your back", beamed Sparx with a hand raised in the air.

"Sparx, not now!"

"Oh, sorry."

"This is strange", Blink puzzled as he placed his right hand on his chin. "I somehow have come to find you out of coincidence, and now you're telling us you don't know who you are anymore. On top of that, your friend Sparx sounds like his voice just got broken prematurely."

Sparx's pupils dramatically shrunk. "Hey, what's THAT supposed to mean?"

Raising his fists towards the air, he tried to fly towards Blink and attempted a playful punch towards him, but before he could do that, the mole quickly responded by holding onto his wings and hanging him upside down with a moderately unconvincing glare.

"Honestly Spyro", the mole frowned upsettingly. "What kind of creature are you?"

Sighing, he then released the grip on Sparx, causing him to release his balance and start drifting down towards the ground, causing him to land head first among the ground beneath, leaving him to have his head completely buried in the mass of dirt beneath.

And then, Blink turned his back and started to walk back the way he came. Concerned over the meeting's rough start, Spyro soon followed suit. As soon as he caught up to him, he raised a front paw, tapped onto the mole's back and waited patiently as he saw the youth come to a stop.

"Look, if there's anything I've said that disappointed you, I'm really sorry", the dragon apologised as truthfully as he could. "But the fact remains that I am very unfamiliar with these surroundings."

The remark soon caused Blink to respond. His ears then slowly twitched first, and then he turned back, his arms obviously folded as he made a slightly more confident glare back towards the dragon, his tail starting to twitch a little bit more passionately than before.

"Given that you haven't been around here for a while, I shouldn't be surprised", Blink replied with a deeper voice tone.

"Well, is there any chance that you can direct me to this 'professor'?" requested Spyro. "He sounds helpful enough to aid me in this situation."

"Right atcha, but I don't know how he would react to see you unaware of this place. But I'll take you to him anyway."

And so, Blink outstretched his arm, leaving Spyro to look on at him with a light blink. He then turned back towards Sparx, whom in spite of looking the most confused of the pair, ended up having to hover between the pair either way. The sight of his glow was reflected in the mole's eyes with a powerful sheen.

And so, the dragon made up his mind – he started to walk his way towards the mole. As soon as they were side-by-side, they both started to make their walk across the village. Blinking with a slightly puzzled look, Sparx hovered his way straight towards the dragon, before holding onto his horns as soon as he caught up.

"Okay, so you're actually going to go ahead with this crazed kid?" Sparx questioned the dragon, twitching his mouth.

"It's the least that I can do for the time being", Spyro started to explain. "And besides, trying to understand the locals could be one way to help me find a way back to the Dragon Temple. I'm sure that there will be a path out of here, given how easy it was for you to get here in particular."

"Fair enough, but I don't like the idea of getting a lecture from a self-proclaimed brainiac. Mom gave me enough lectures to last a lifetime; we all know that."

The remark suddenly left Spyro to look back at Sparx with an eye twitch, resulting in the dragonfly blushing once more and taking hiding behind his head. As far as the dragon knew, he somehow thought that remarks relating to his home of origin would rather be the last on his mind.

For the only way that they could concentrate now was find out everything they can to be able to find a way back to the Dragon Temple. Yet, wondering how the creatures in the village somehow knew Spyro by name already, all that he would know was that a way back home might not come so easily.

_-end of chapter-_


	2. The Pirate Kid

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Wow, I AM surprised with the response on this so far. After having a rough start with The Theoropolis Saga I thought I might struggle to get at least one comment at all. Thanks for everything so far.

This is the part when I look over responses and bring up any issues that were brought up amongst them. I see that we're getting a few ideas on Spyro's connection with the village, which will somehow get explored just a little bit more in this chapter as well as introducing the sole OC in the fic. I'm prepared to get some heads turned at my decision on this, but what can I say? I seem to be fonder of the unconventional, lol.

Alongside with that, I noted a potential requests to use some OCs from other people in this. However, I don't want to go down that route. Firstly it would help if I understood their previous ways of character development before, and I can be pretty worrying if I portray such characters completely wrong. Secondly, it also worries me if the OC in question is a Mary Sue or a Gary Stu – a character type that I completely despise. I don't want to have Spyro completely fall at the hands of a vicious monster and miraculously gets revived by a giant pink fairy with enormous blonde pigtails that can summon giant fireballs the size of the sun to smite her opponents.

Thirdly – and the biggest concern of all – the time for character development will also be an issue. The length of the overall fic meant that even some of the canon characters needed to be cut out because they felt really unimportant to the rest of the tale. That already meant having to exclude the fairies and most of the Dragon Elders, which made me feel awkward enough in itself, but it also gave me more time to explore the feelings of others as well as develop more climatic scenes.

I hope you understand what I meant when taking the liberty to choose the character roster. I don't want to upset anyone, but I still hope we can be cool after what I brought up, right?

Thanks for your time. And now for your reading enjoyment, here's the second chapter.

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

Several minutes passed, and at this stage, not long after coming across Blink, Spyro and Sparx were escorted across the village towards a distant location. As they made their walk, they were keen enough to take a closer look at their surroundings around them.

In spite of the obvious black cloud and the pirate creatures that went around the area, everything looked so peaceful for a village setup. Bearing that feel in mind, they both looked on at one another, curious over the kind of surreal area that they were sent into in the first place.

And then, they were brought into a quiet area towards the south of the village. Standing there was a large metallic building that stood almost like a regular home, but with several electric pylons being embedded around its perimeter. Much of its surroundings were instantly reflected upon its surface.

"Here we are", smiled Blink. "This is the professor's home."

All three of them looked on at the structure of the building up ahead, noticing the metallic structures around them. A close observation saw that the building looked slightly different in comparison to the other buildings, which looked clearly made out of stone.

"There's something about this structure that looks out of place with the rest of the area", Spyro brought aloud his suspicions to the others.

"Yep", beamed Blink. "My uncle and I just moved in two months ago to study this dark aura above the village. So if you see that as different, now you know."

Smiling in response, Blink made his walk straight inside the building, taking gentle footsteps further inwards as he managed to do so. As soon as he stepped through the front door, a spotlight turned itself straight on above his head, illuminating his view as he went inside.

Spyro was almost about to follow him, but before he could do anything, he took a look back at Sparx, whom somehow showed more discomfort about his surroundings than the dragon. Sighing morbidly, the dragonfly soon followed him, hanging his arms on the top of his head.

"Are you sure you're trying to hide something from me?" Sparx leered almost bitterly. "Did Ignitus tell you any more confusing secrets behind my back?"

"No, I'm not", replied Spyro. "I just find it odd that these creatures would live in structures like that. This one in particular doesn't look very safe, personally."

Sparx responded back with a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh, now I see, you think it looks too similar to Cynder's old fortress to become habitable. Well you know, we aren't at the Dragon Temple anymore, so anything can happen, kid."

Sparx's comment was more than enough for Spyro to somehow turn straight towards the building. Surely he had a point with it sharing similar metallic structures to the fortress that they travelled through at Concurrent Skies, although its colors generally looked far less foreboding.

Yet in spite of the structure, the least that the dragon could do was look back at his companion, raising an eyebrow straight in his direction before refocusing towards the building again. For some reason, it may look safer on the inside than it would potentially be out, he thought to himself.

"I suppose I'll take your word for it", the dragon sighed.

Taking a deep yet discreet breath, Spyro made his step through the front door, with Sparx soon following. As soon as they got inside, they instantly triggered a spotlight hanging directly above them, shining down on them like a beam of light omitted from the sky.

They soon brought their focus towards Blink, whom had already made his way deep inside, almost getting hidden in the darkness. He was seen waiting patiently, bringing his eyes around the black and blue metallic structures that graced the halls and ceiling of this peculiar hallway.

The walls and floor themselves had strange cyan blue lines that went in all sorts of directions, turning at a perfect right angle if they ever did so. They shone the brightest among the lights in the room, illuminating every object and being in its sight with its cool midnight color scheme.

Walking further ahead saw them starting to go past several barred doors, assuming that each of them would lead into store room after store room holding unnecessary contraptions. In spite of its colors, the barred windows made them feel a slight bit less welcoming than the lights.

"Uncle!"

Blink was the first to emerge from the hallway into a large and spacious room – a laboratory filled with flowing chemicals to the right, several large machines to the left, and a desk where a smaller mole was working on, all in a faint blue lighting scheme around them.

"Uncle, I've managed to relocate Spyro today", he brashly spoke to the smaller mole. "He seems to be out of the loop, but I hope he could help you out with your experiments."

Instantly, the smaller mole stood up and turned around to witness the dragon. He showed himself to have short flowing silver hair, complete with glasses with a golden rim, black shoes and a lab coat surrounding his body. Upon the sight of him, his face suddenly broke into a joyful smile.

"Spyro, you're alive!" he joyfully replied with an aged voice filled with wisdom.

"Wait, I still don't know who you are", Spyro looked on at the creature with confusion. "Are you this 'professor' that Blink referenced to?"

Before the small mole – the Professor – could even come close to him, he suddenly stopped into his tracks. Thinking about Spyro's remark, he shifted his eyes towards Blink's direction and made a slight pace towards his direction, showing a facial expression with deep concern.

"What's going on?" the Professor asked his nephew. "Why can't he recognise me off the bat?"

"I think he's coming down with amnesia", Blink sighed. "I think it would relate to the incident from six months ago."

"What incident?" Spyro hesitantly asked in reply. "What happened? And what's with the black cloud shrouding the village? And which way is it back to-"

"ONE QUESTION AT A TIME!!!"

The Professor's shout was enough to cause Sparx to struggle to gain his balance, leaving him to suddenly stop hovering and fall straight onto his back, looking confused over the power of the booming voice. All that the aged mole could do in return was blush with an apologetic look.

Spyro was keen enough to raise one of his paws towards Sparx's direction, leaving him to hold onto it as he regained his balance and hovering height. As soon as that happened, he turned back towards the Professor with an equally sympathetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry", the dragon spoke softly while lowering his head.

The Professor nodded, accepting the apology. "Okay, we'll start from the beginning – _that_ incident."

With a quiver in his voice, he made his walk back towards his desk, walking with slightly melancholic footsteps. As soon as he reached the desk, he pulled out a small scroll and cautiously raised it in the air as if he was raising a test tube with a delicate fluid inside.

He opened the scroll cautiously, and there he saw what was written right ahead of him. There, he saw what looked like a bulletin written inside it, along with various drawn images of a dragon shadow encountering a cloaked silhouette inside a spacious arena.

The very sight of the article ahead of him was enough for him to lower his head and look down towards everyone else in the room with a grim look. Sighing, he rolled back the scroll and paced his way straight through the middle of his room, focusing his eyes upon everyone as he walked past them.

"At this time six months ago, the Sorcerer came here and launched a wide scale attack across the village, using his minions to start seeping the life energy from the ground. Carrying the mystical Shadowstone that you used to counter a previous wave from him several months earlier, you confronted him once again."

Spyro looked on at the Professor with curiosity. What was this Shadowstone that was brought into the conversation? And even more confusing still, since when did he run into a fight with a magician? Nevertheless, he maintained a stern expression, while inside he knew that the issue would get perplexing.

"And then, you vanished", the Professor finalised his story with a whisper. "We never saw you again, for six whole months."

"I can't remember anything like that, but I'll take your word for it", Spyro accepted the story, raising an eyebrow slightly.

The Professor reacted with an uncertain yet slightly more positive smile upon him, all before he focused his attention to a giant glass window that was shown to his left. He made his walk there, and as soon as he got there, he observed a clear view of the village around him as well as the mountains and the cloud that hung above.

"And that would also explain the black cloud", he gestured as he pointed up towards it. "The Sorcerer's reign on the Dragon Village has lead to him gaining control of this area. It is to the point that we are in an oppressive society as of now. Goodness knows what would happen next."

"So let me understand what's happening", Spyro began to recap. "At some point or another, I confronted some 'sorcerer' and went missing, leaving the village vulnerable to succumb to his power."

The Professor turned back to Spyro and gave out a gentle nod, ensuring that the dragon has understood the gravity of the situation. Almost maintaining an expression of false confidence, the dragon took a step forward, knowing that he could attempt to do something about it if possible.

"If that's the case, I could help you out, but I can't do this all by myself."

"Why not?" asked the Professor, focusing on the dragon and supporting his glasses at the same time.

"I don't feel that I'm up to my maximum strength yet. I need to recruit some help."

Spyro paused for several seconds. With that remark he made, he saw it as his chance. Any way away from this village and back in the direction to the Temple would easily assist him in any shape or form, whether it is to escape or actually recruit the "help" from back there.

His face looked insecure as he continued to think more about the situation. How did the people know him, and how was he seen as a potential savior for the village? Still holding self doubt, he took a further approach towards the Professor, making sure not to mark the metallic floors with any potential footprints.

"And that brings me to my next point", he bravely commenced. "Do you know which way it is to the Dragon Temple?"

The Professor gave off a quick blink. "Dragon… _temple?"_

Quickly, the Professor jumped on the spot and instantly turned his way towards Blink, whom also was seen with an equally curious expression. Together, they went into the furthest corner away from the entrance from the hallway and huddled together, their expressions almost looking as confused as each other's.

"What's all this about a dragon 'temple'?" Blink hastily asked his uncle, confused of what was going on. "I know of there being a dragon 'dojo' along a passageway west out of the village, but I'm not sure that's what he's looking for."

"If that's the case, then I have an awkward feeling about this", the Professor sighed, shaking his head. "What kind of location did he find anything of the sort?"

"I might have an answer on that."

The remark caused everyone to turn straight towards the nearest corner to the window panel – right in the direction of the voice. And there, they saw a tall shadow standing firm, shifting long feet and looking down at the ground with what looked like a short and stubby nose.

The figure then stepped straight into the light, revealing it to be a furred creature just like the moles and the soldiers – or more specifically, a rabbit. Silky white furs graced her body, with her long ears hanging down as if they were nothing more but a head accessory.

Blonde hair graced the top of her head, blending in with her sapphire blue eyes and shoulder-less shirt, cloak, skirt and boots that all sported a maroon and gold color scheme around them. The sight of her was enough for the moles to look at her with both relief and bewilderment on their faces.

"Bianca?" the Professor identified the rabbit. "I thought you were meant to guard the west exit out of the Dragon Village."

"Don't worry, Hunter's doing everything he can while I visit you guys", she smiled gently. "I managed to overhear the return of one Spyro the Dragon to the realms, so I thought I could check it out."

With a graceful smile on her face, she made a gentle walk towards the dragon, her ears gracefully roaming down her back like pigtails as she walked. As soon as she reached him, she crouched down to his level and gently stroked his head with a touch to rival a potential mother.

"And you must be the 'man of the hour'", she breathed with awe.

"Thanks", Spyro nodded insecurely, "but I don't even know who half the village is."

Blink quickly walked behind her and tapped her shoulders. "Bianca, we think he's got amnesia after his last encounter, but he might come to accept this place again."

A stern look was then shown on her face as she looked on at the young mole. "Somehow I doubt your hypothesis. But whether his memory has been inflicted with damage or not, I'm sure I can find a way to guide him to the Dragon Temple."

"There IS such a thing?" Blink exclaimed with a questionable tone.

"Yes. Though you might not have seen it, I am sure that it is around here somewhere. But it won't be there that he will get the help though."

Blinking gently, Bianca lowered her head once again, her facial expression showing the same expression of concern as shown upon her peers. She was then left to pace to the left slightly, maintaining her expression, with Spyro and Sparx fixing their eyes upon her as she walked.

"What do you mean by that?" asked the dragon.

"The way to the Dragon Temple is a long and perilous path, just like that you faced to get to the Sorcerer six months back", she attempted to remind him. "All that I can tell you is that it is heading out of one of the exits from the village, but the Sorcerer's magical energy has made things difficult to get around."

"Hey, you look like some kind of mystical voodoo lady, right?" Sparx grinned broadly while folding his arms. "Why can't you evaporate his spells with your little hocus-pocus?"

"I would have loved to Sparx, but my magic just isn't strong enough to break down the doors. Though, now that you joined in the conversation…" she paused for a few seconds. "What happened to your voice?"

"WHAT?" Sparx screamed, raising his voice up by an octave and a half. "This voice box comes naturally, just so you know, young lady!"

Showing a slightly tense facial expression, Sparx hovered his way directly towards Bianca with his fists raised into the air, but before anything can happen, she quickly clapped her hands together. That summoned a brief thunderbolt onto Sparx, temporarily paralysing him and sending him down to the ground.

The sight of it left Spyro to shake his head with disbelief at the sight of it, before walking towards the dragonfly and using his paws to push him gently as he waited for his wings to start flapping again. It wasn't long until his eyes were fixed back towards Bianca and the moles, however.

"So, how can we break down those doors?" he asked her, seeking for more answers. "Is there another way?"

"Bianca might not be strong enough", Blink began to reply sternly, "but I've heard of a strange myth that dates back to the days of the pirate ancestors. Do you see these monkeys walking around in the village?"

Spyro nodded with confidence. "Yes, we were chased by a few before we met you."

"Okay. It was claimed for them to be descended from an army of pirates that were faithful followers of an ancient dark entity. The power from them can be enough to bypass these magical checkpoints that Bianca brought up."

"We can't even befriend any if they keep chasing us. Is there another way to it?"

"You know", Sparx commenced to speak weakly as he started to flap his wings and gain some height again, "we could stun them and make them do our bidding, but even then they could refuse. This is sounding worse than facing my mother's 40th birthday party."

Scowling, he made his way towards a distant corner, assuming that he is a force that couldn't really be associated with cooperating with creatures resembling past enemies. All that he would do is leer towards his own reflection, knowing that the struggle back home had just gotten worse.

Cautiously, the Professor approached the dragonfly, trying to look on at his facial expression. But before he could even look at him in the eye, Sparx quickly turned away, trying to hide his distressed facial expression from the elder mole. In a state of reactive thought, he turned towards the others, raising his glasses back up his nose.

"You know, there might be a solution to this, though it could be far fetched."

Clutching his hands tightly, he made his walk towards the other end of the room. Finally he made his stop underneath a wall with all sorts of cuttings from various past scrolls, most of the more distinguished showing drawn shadows of a smaller soldier-like creature. The largest in the set showed it running away with what looked like a raw fish in its possession.

"In my time studying these creatures, I came to find out about a young descendant that actually managed to befriend some of the residents", he informed the personnel while looking on at the cut-outs. "It even managed to steal food from the market and give to the poor on most occasions that I saw it."

"So you're saying that he could be our chance at opening these gates?" asked Spyro.

"I would assume so", the Professor nodded in spite of being able to maintain a smile. "Spyro, if you want to reach this Dragon Temple or whatever, I would see to you being able to recruit this creature and use him to help you out."

"And what if he refuses?"

"If he refuses, just mention who you are and he could help you out. That's as much as I can tell you."

The Professor's comment felt very confident, the dragon thought to himself. Breathing in, he looked straight towards Sparx, whom ended up giving off a slight tremble in return before raising his hands in the air as if to say 'the strategy _might_ work'.

Taking in the words into account, he knew that it was time to put the words into practice. He looked towards the archway that lead straight towards the hallway that he initially came from and made his walk towards it, ready to tackle the brave wide world outside once more.

"Good luck with your journey", waved the Professor. "I don't know what exactly you seek from this temple, but I hope it will help you well in seeking for the Sorcerer."

"Thank you sir."

Spyro's nod of affirmativeness was enough to see him heading out the door in upbeat spirits, ready to do whatever it takes to make his way towards the Dragon Temple. And as soon as he turned around, all that remained was the trace of his shadow among the walls.

Blink and the Professor locked their hands as they saw the dragon make his departure from the area, though the latter somehow showed an insecure facial expression. If he really _did _guess right that Spyro had amnesia, would he really have what it takes to aid the village after all?

Only time would tell as far as they concerned - for as far as they and Bianca knew, he won't be able to get far without the assistance of the fabled "pirate kid". And whether he would be able to encounter him as securely as possible or as roughly as possible would remain firm in the hands of fate.

* * *

As soon as they left the door and arrived back out into the open, Spyro and Sparx found themselves back towards the streets of the village. The cobbled stones beneath their feet and the towering structures of some of the homes nearby once again started to add to their unease of their location.

They walked down a nearby alley, where market stalls were graced from end to end, all of which having ursine-like creatures serving behind the counters. In spite of their friendliness towards them, all that they could do was maintain neutral expressions as they kept walking.

It wasn't long until they left the alley and found their way to a nearby deserted road. Once there, they both came to a stop and looked upon one another with raised eyebrows. The thoughts of the conversations with Blink, Bianca and the Professor remained fresh in their minds.

"Wait, so you're actually accepting that you once lived here?" Sparx asked Spyro, twitching his tail cautiously.

"No, I'm not", the dragon shook his head. "It's all that I can do if we need to go home."

Making a further pace towards the middle of the village, they brought their eyes towards the other walking villagers that went around. Most of which were the same bipedal dragons that they found before, walking around, trying their best to hide their fear from their peers.

"Still, these people sound like they're in danger because of this 'sorcerer'", said Spyro. "I can't just stay at the temple with the regret of not being able to help them, whether they know of my existence or not."

Blinking with a look of concern, Spyro looked straight down to the ground below – a dirt-covered ground with the occasional pebble etched into it. It didn't take long until he soon looked on at Sparx, thinking about the situation and what would feel more important – helping everyone and failing to find a way back, or going home and failing to save everyone.

"You know, this sounds kind of strange", shivered Sparx, folding his arms grimly. "Are you sure you haven't been here before? Everyone knows your name, but you don't know them."

"That's what I'm concerned about as well", Spyro replied almost nervously. "I've never been to this place in my life, so how can they know me like this?"

Lowering his head down, he reacted with sitting down, taking a closer look at the surroundings around him. Not even the pleasantness of the market square was enough to calm him down in spite of it trying to act cheery to the civilians regardless of its murky color scheme.

"I can't be in some strange farfetched version of a past life, can't I?" he quickly jumped to an irrational conclusion.

Sparx instantly shook his head while pointing a finger in the same motion. "Hey, if it was a past life, then we could expect you to mature from a dragon egg in six months, can we or can we not?"

Sparx had a point, the dragon thought to himself. What are the possibility of being another purple dragon in a realm like this, facing an untimely death, and almost instantly getting reincarnated as another purple dragon, maturing in six months and going on to fight Cynder and potentially the Dark Master in that time?

Obviously he knew to himself that it was all too impossible. Everything that he faced from his time in the swamp to his time fighting Cynder didn't add up to the possibility of having grown out there in a world like that. Hesitantly, he brought himself onto the ground, lying down horizontally, his face looking increasingly perplexed.

"This is getting too confusing. I need to find answers no matter what the cost."

Sparx nodded back at him as if to say that he would support him in his decision. Carefully he acted as a guiding light as the dragon stood back up, still unsure about the surrounding area – as he quoted, a place where everyone knew his name, but he didn't know them.

"_STOP! THIEF!!"_

The shout left the pair to look straight to the direction of it. Right there, they saw a figure zooming straight through a nearby archway, holding what looked like a baguette in one of its hands. It ran off, cackling slightly as it made its dash straight down the distant alley.

Not too far from them came another bear - one larger than the other merchant bears that they passed. A fez graced his hat, along with various multi-colored gypsy clothing around his body including a waistcoat, wide pants, a blouse and flat shoes among other garments.

"Come back from the hands of Moneybags!" the bear spoke with what sounded like an Arabic-Russian accent. "That's the last time you're running off with one of my sandwiches!"

The bear's scream was enough to know that they couldn't stop him in his tracks regardless of his struggle. With that, they looked at each other and gave off a confident nod, ensuring that before they locate the kid, they would at least assist a village resident nonetheless.

They both went in a different direction – up a canopy that led to the roof of a shallower building. After reaching the top, they observed the scene from below and brought their eyes down to another creature that resembled a former minion of Cynder, though it looked significantly younger and more innocent, as well as sporting striped pants, a dark waistcoat and a red bandana over its head.

"Is that the pirate that Bianca brought up?" Spyro asked Sparx with a hopeful glance.

"You're not getting away that easy, you stupid ursine!"

The shout from the kid was enough to send nerves straight down the chasing bear's spine. With that, he clutched one of his fists tightly and started to run significantly faster, attempting to catch up closer and closer towards the kid with every stride he made.

Yet, in spite of that, the kid was able to make several nimble turns around the canopy, turning with precise accuracy while being able to maintain the grasp on the sandwich. Just as it made one turn in particular, it brought its eyes to a mountain of fruit on another market stall; he leered at it, knowing that this might be his chance.

"Take that!" he exclaimed joyfully.

And so, he leapt straight towards the top of the fruit pile, before running on the spot. This in turn caused a horde of fruit to fall straight down towards the ground, all rolling in the direction that the kid came from – straight towards the unsuspecting bear.

With a facial expression filled with shock, Moneybags quickly jumped over some of the first few apples, yet he struggled with some of the thicker patches, leaving him to suddenly slip and fall onto the ground. This allowed for one of the apples in particular to land inside his mouth like a fruit in a roast pig.

That soon followed with some of the remaining apples to end up falling their way on top of the bear, instantly burrowing the bear almost completely. As soon as that happened, the kid jumped back down to the ground and turned back at the pile of apples, now mostly on top of Moneybags save for a squirming arm and leg.

"Help!" he screamed, his shouts being completely muffled by the pile of fruit. "Help me out of this mess!"

The kid smirked with a victorious snicker. "Never thought I'd see you get smothered in apples. Makes a fine Sunday lunch!"

The boy continued to run around the market square, knowing that he managed to lose Moneybags to the point that he could almost be able to unable to catch up with him. Whomever he would give the sandwich to, no one would know – no one, except for himself.

But in spite of his eagerness to go closer into the village, Spyro and Sparx followed the kid among the rooftops, all before they finally managed to find a location hanging above a straight path leading back near the giant willow tree. Carefully they both ascended down towards the canopy, hoping to take a closer look at the kid's actions in the process.

"Here he comes, Spyro!" Sparx shouted from above almost too excitedly. "Get ready to block him off!"

"But he's running too fast!"

Spyro's remark was right – for a thief, he seemed to run at a blistering speed among the ground, leaving behind a dust trail behind. But if he was what they would need to progress far out of the village, they knew that the time to act was now, no matter what the circumstances.

And so, he jumped down from the balcony and focused his attention straight to the kid ahead. Soon enough, the kid ended up locking eyes with this dragon that appeared from out of nowhere, dropped the sandwich and tried to stop on the ground using his heels.

"Yikes! What the…"

No matter what his best efforts were, he was sent into an uncontrollable stop, instantly rolling upon the ground like a bowling ball for several seconds. A trail of dirt was left behind on the ground as he moved and finally skidded to a halt directly on his chest.

From his position, he looked straight up at Spyro. The first sight of his neutral-looking purple eyes were enough to make him shake on the spot, knowing that he might have run into trouble in some shape or form. Quickly, he picked up the sandwich, sat up and used the food item to defend himself.

"Are you… are you… please! Don't hurt me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you or anything", Spyro attempted to plead with the kid.

"Yeah, it's not like he did the same to any more of these monkeys around here", Sparx backed up his statement. "Besides, he's too weak to even light a candle right now."

Sparx's remark caused the youth to suddenly blush on the spot. There, he ended up sighing, still trembling and holding onto his hands for comfort. He then fixed his eyes steadily upon the pair, and as time started to pass, his nerves slowly started to calm down to the point that he started to feel less like he just left the door of a refrigerator.

"It still doesn't change the fact that I've seen you from the sidelines, fighting all sorts of monsters", the kid blinked with awe. "You're Spyro, the savior of the Dragon Realms, aren't you?"

Spyro tentatively nodded, his front legs starting to tremble. "Yes, but to be honest with you, I've never been here before."

"You can either trust him or not, pal", Sparx glared at the kid deeply. "Some absent-minded professor thinks that he's got amnesia from fighting a sorcerer."

"Well, I can see what you mean."

The kid gave off a gentle glance back towards the pair, before suddenly taking a step forward. Outstretching one of his thick yet underdeveloped arms, he touched Spyro's back and maintained his curious facial expression as he continued to stroke gently upon him.

He then proceeded to do the same for Sparx, but it didn't last long as he suddenly started to burst into a ticklish laugh after five seconds. Blushing slightly, he then turned back towards the dragon, placing his arms down towards his side as he can as if he was treating a pair of vases.

"Somehow, I can understand the feelings inside you", the kid spoke understandingly. "I sense that you want to venture to a Dragon Temple, right?"

Spyro's eyes widened once more. "How did you know about that?"

"It's something in my blood that makes me able to sense the feelings of others. I know you feel uneasy just going here. That's not surprising considering what happened six months ago."

Spyro's heart skipped a beat. What was done to depart from this unknown village six months ago; he thought to himself. He somehow knew that somewhere down the line, an answer to that question needed to be found in any shape or form, no matter what the cost.

Regardless, looking on at the youth meant that he found something that will bring him one step closer towards his ultimate goal of a way back to the Dragon Temple. The kid's eyes showed enough innocence upon them to know that somehow, in spite of this kind of species being a common adversary, _he could be trusted._

"I'll be happy to help you out on your journey no matter what the cost", beamed the kid. "If you want a name, my name is Ango."

"Uh…" Spyro looked on at the kid nervously. "Hi, Ango."

"And a top of the morning to you, pal", saluted Sparx, obviously showing more confidence.

The sight of their responses left the boy to look back at them with confidence, knowing that he had just been accepted as a potential accomplice for the pair. Optimistically, he made his walk towards the Northern end of the area, where a gate stood directly in front of him.

"Still, now that we're here, I feel that we can be able to get through this together", he winked with his fists clenching. "I see that you wanted me because the Professor told you to. And I can be fine to go down with that, as long as the Sorcerer gets to leave this place alone."

Confidently, he looked back towards Spyro and Sparx, quickly disposing of the sandwich in a nearby haystack and jumping up and down as if he faced multiple birthdays and Christmases all at once. The least that the pair would do in return was look back – sure it was nice to have some optimism, but it does sound like a complete change of mood in comparison to the other personnel they met so far, they thought to themselves.

"Well, what are you waiting for? The way to the Dragon Temple is this way, isn't it?"

The kid pointed straight beyond the gate; right at the mention of the temple, Spyro and Sparx went up to him and looked straight on at the sight ahead. A mountain slope graced the area above, standing more or less like a steep cliff than a peak aiming towards the tallest parts of the area.

They even managed to sense a sight of a black mist that came from one part of the cliff, enveloping over their viewpoint like a bridge that looks as if it wasn't meant to be treaded across. But in spite of that awkward sight, Ango placed his hands down his side and looked ahead with a broad smile.

"Wow, he sounds like a better compass at this area than me", Sparx remarked, showing an annoyed look. "You know, I'm starting to feel a little tense with him."

"Why?" asked Spyro, concerned over his companion's remark. "He could be our only help to get to the Dragon Temple."

"Yes, but I have a bad feeling about his species as well", the dragonfly reminded him with a shiver. "He could be a spy for all we care. Are you always so naïve to trust these before you get to really know them?"

"It's not like we have a choice. We either must follow, or we stay put. And if we stay put, we may not see, Cynder, Ignitus or the others again."

Spyro's words soon sank into Sparx's mind. It was there that he started to realise the gravity of the current situation. If he does stay behind and tries to get along with the personnel of this strange looking village, he assumed that his actions would come with a price.

No longer would he be able to make contact with Cynder, Ignitus and the other dragons back at the temple. No longer would he be able to return to Tall Plains and reclaim his place as a potential god. And no longer would he be able to return to the two most important non-dragons in his life.

"Now that I think of it, I might not see mom and dad either", he whispered, almost looking heartbroken.

The thought left him torn. Should he trust a kid whose species is coincidentally the same as that for the soldiers that he and Spyro countered when journeying to Cynder? Or does he stay put and never see home again? In the end, he came to a conclusion, lowering his head with a growl in his throat.

"Okay. I'll stick by your decisions this time, but don't come crying to me if he turns out to be a traitor to you."

Spyro's natural reaction was a roll of the eyes and several steps ahead in advance. "Sure, I'll bear that in mind if I get trapped in quicksand or something like that."

Spyro's sarcasm left Sparx to scratch his head, curious over his decision. Maybe the dragon _could_ see some good in the kid, and maybe he means what he actually says. The innocence shown in his eyes, coupled with his determination, were proof that he could be trusted.

Even with the species being a concern, the dragonfly caught up to the pair, and together they all left the village and made their way straight towards the wide open space of the surrounding fields ahead. Whatever dangers they would come across, they would all stand together and face them in their stride.

None of the trio knew what dangers in particular would arrive. None of them even knew how they would make their assault if any. But if there's anything they do know, it's the words of Bianca as they heard them – the way back to the Dragon Temple would be considered to be a brutal challenge.

_-end of chapter-_


	3. The Gateway

AUTHOR'S NOTES

I can't believe the commentary on this is increasing so much. Every bit of note has been taken into account for the fic's progression, and so I appreciate every little comment that managed to make its way.

I see the OC commentary from last time ended up facing a bit of a discussion. Sometimes it also worries me that all of a sudden such characters would turn into Mary Sues, yet I was careful to plan Ango's personality as the fic made its progression. It's in this chapter in particular that we get to see one or two disadvantages of having a descendant of a pirate ancestor travel alongside you. There's no way that I would ever plan him to be as much of an active enough fighter to even save Spyro from a minor situation, so there we go.

BrightCat, the commentary relating to the grammar was also pretty well received (makes it even more amazing that you're a fan of the legend that is Turquoise Phoenix as well; I want her back!), and it's been a very long time since I received writing critique in this kind of level so that is really appreciated. :) It's this kind of commentary that I love to be honest, if I need to measure up to the bucket load of writers that have ended up with such potent feedback around here. Though, bear in mind that before I send the fics off I run a spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word (most rules on grammar seem to be based on British English outside from some of the Americanised spellings; blame my home country if you like, lol), yet I'll still be happy to go through a few more proof-reads for such hiccups alongside them.

I also see you thought about the scenario with Cynder's separation from Spyro in chapter 1. Though I do see what you mean in terms of "what kind of question is that", the way I see it is that she's left there, hopelessly at the steps of the dragon temple, nervous over how far the storm would end up taking him. But I do see what you mean by the dialog portrayed there. Like I said, it's those kinds of moments that seem to make me think more about wanting to do a couple more proofreads before launching.

So yes, in a nutshell I respect all commentary that managed to come through. I just wish I got commentary on a similar level for The Theoropolis Saga though, though this is just as amazing enough. Regardless, thanks very much, and let's move onto the next chapter!

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

It didn't take too long for Spyro, Sparx and Ango to finally emerge from the Dragon Village into the wide-open fields ahead. Yet in spite of escaping from civilisation for a brief spell, the scenery around them wasn't quite as pleasant as they were going to expect. 

At almost every single turn, there were rocks etched into the ground, standing there, trying to block them from going up any further. Red weeds were placed among the ground alongside several upturned piles of dirt nearby. Yet in spite of that, they were keen enough to go around them and continue their exhibition.

Not long after that, they faced a steep pathway that lead straight up a mountain slope. While Spyro and Ango managed to cope with the ascent, the sudden changes in altitude suddenly started to turn Sparx's face an awkward shade of citrus yellow as well as making him struggle to catch his breath.

"Spyro, are we nearly there yet?" Sparx asked him with a wheezy tone. "My wings are getting tired from all this climbing!"

"Quit complaining", Spyro leered impatiently. "We left the village half an hour ago. Haven't you been used to hovering above the ground already?"

"Maybe I have, but it would be easier if I didn't face sudden altitude changes at the same time", the dragonfly replied with a cough. "What do you think I am; a rock climber? Or even more convincing…" he made a brief pause. "Do I look like a red echidna to you?"

Gasping, he then ended up collapsing on top of Spyro's back, holding onto two of his ridges with his hands, riding on him like a jockey on a horse. The dragon, however, didn't show much concern over Sparx's position – at least he's light enough to carry around, he thought to himself.

About two minutes later, they soon managed to reach level ground once more. Rocks and weeds still covered their whereabouts, but they were not even at the least their most major concern. Something was seen glowing in the darkness, giving off an eerie white and lavender glow.

"Wait just a second, peeps", Sparx blinked as he pointed towards the glowing object.

Quickly, they all came to a stop and observed the object. Its lighting in the shadows wasn't enough to identify it straight away, leaving them to carefully take several steps at a time to get closer at it. The purple light soon started to give way to other shades into it, including varieties of pink, blue and white.

Finally they saw it in clarity – a large stone gateway that blocked the path, with embedded rocks on either side standing, preventing any other means of getting around it. The colors from the light formed an aura in which the lights from it swirled in an anti-clockwise direction.

"This…" Sparx's jaw almost dropped as he tried to look closer at it. "Is this some kind of checkpoint thingy that Bianca and the Professor mentioned?"

"I can see some kind of black aura, so it should belong to the Sorcerer", Spyro made a brief analysis. "Ango, what do you make of this?"

"This is definitely the Sorcerer's sacred energy. I'm sure I will be able to unseal it to continue our journey."

Bringing his arms back, Ango made his walk towards the arch, hoping to make contact with the energy itself. It in itself started to grow brighter and brighter as he got there, even getting to the point that the light given off from the aura was soon reflected onto his body.

Finally, he stopped in front of it, still looking on at the giant object with wonder. A chilled air surrounded it, almost being potential enough to freeze his fur on end. The aura itself even channelled itself with a strange whooshing sound that would sound almost sensitive to the untrained ear thanks to its low bass frequencies omitted from it.

He would almost try to send his hands straight towards it, but before he even managed to touch the aura… he suddenly froze in place. There, he felt a strange presence that caused his eyes to twitch and shiver in place, almost as if it was consuming the dark energy inside his body.

"Ango, why did you suddenly freeze like that?" Spyro asked cautiously.

The dragon's question was enough for him to look down at his position and gradually repent. When they both locked eyes with each other, Ango's eyes were shown to be almost completely pale in color, leaving him to have some obvious concern over what was behind the aura.

"I have a bad feeling about this gateway", the kid frowned. "Something's telling me that we shouldn't go past it. Perhaps we should try going back."

"What?" Sparx squealed in place as he looked bitterly towards the view of the Dragon Village from below. "We spent half an hour just trying to climb this thing, and now you're telling us to do down??"

"I have my reasons for it. Trust me on this."

"And I have my own for doing anything other than to climb a mountain, thank you very much. Heck, I could even take up stand-up comedy in that time!"

"Sparx! Ango!"

The bickering between the pair was enough for Spyro to make his dash between the pair with a trace of impatience being shown upon his eyes. First he managed to place his head directly between the two, instantly blocking them from landing any fisticuffs onto one another.

First, he brought his tail from behind and whacked Sparx towards the other side of the clearing. And then he rammed his head into Ango's chest, leaving him to just flinch and fall to the ground, clutching onto his stomach. Having seen the results of the break-up, he looked back towards the dragonfly maintaining his glare of irritation.

"Sparx, don't argue with the kid", the dragon bossed the dragonfly. "If he has problems with the door, that's fine."

"Whatever you say, chief", Sparx responded weakly as he raised his hand in the air.

Just as quickly as Sparx dropped his arm again, Spyro focused his attention towards the kid. "Ango, what do you think is wrong with making our way to the Dragon Temple?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that I think there's something more suspicious about this gate."

Continuing to hold onto his stomach, the kid managed to make his stand back onto his feet, and carefully made his walk towards the door. The eerie colors that formed around the gate were left to be untouched, with its frequencies and auras bound to give shivers down the spine of any living creature that would approach it.

"This mystical energy looks more lethal than I imagined it to be. I'm not saying that I can't unlock it, but there's something about it that doesn't feel right."

"Damn straight!" exclaimed a distant male voice bearing what sounded like a New Mexico accent. "You've just come looking for trouble."

The voice caused them to look around all directions, trying to locate the physical form behind the voice. They saw leafless trees rustling on occasion, as well as footsteps that were almost too fast for them to be able to trace, complete with strange long and narrow footprints, with three toes being made out on each.

And before anything could happen, a rumble was felt onto their feet. They looked below, and saw several cracks show upon the ground. Before they could react with running from them, they were left to fall straight down with the rubble, making their way inside a deep pit.

Upon recovery, their eyes were still met with darkness. In fact they could have remained to struggle their way through had Sparx not steadily floated down and acted as a light that extended for at least a couple of feet ahead, the dragonfly himself looking puzzled over these recent events regardless.

"Okay, who turned out the lights?" he growled bitterly as he questioned the darkness.

"I did."

The voice caused them all to look towards their left at the same time. Darkness still enveloped the entire area, but a blur was still clearly made out – a small shape that had two legs and two arms, just like every other creature that resided back at the Dragon Village.

Its radiant green eyes shone within the darkness, almost like a piercing pair of car headlights. It arched out its arms and legs, posing as if it was auditioning for a part in a spaghetti western movie. Its defined status almost looked mouse-like in structure, at least according to the eyes of the trio.

"That shadow", Spyro tried to identify the creature. "He looks like a small Atlawa."

"A what did you say, pardner?"

Growling almost bitterly, the rat shadow made a closer step towards Spyro, walking around with long intimidating feet. It soon came to a stop several footsteps later, holding onto what looked like a stick in one of its hands, only just viewable to point out its silhouette in the darkness.

"You're messing with Bandit, the most cunning outlaw from out of Cliff Town", boomed the shadow. "And we're not letting you out of the Dragon Village without a good reason for it."

"That's the thing", Spyro attempted to compromise. "We're trying to locate the Dragon Temple. Once we get there, I will recruit some warriors to help take care of the Sorcerer."

"That's preposterous. I know of a dojo, but a temple doesn't exist around here."

The shadow was left to shake his head at the mention of a temple. Meanwhile, Spyro didn't look too convinced, as he leant himself forward slightly, focusing straight ahead at the rat creature with his eyes focusing cautiously at him and his teeth starting to clutch tighter.

"That wasn't what Bianca said!"

"So, you seem to know that magic rabbit back at the village", the shadow chuckled deeply as he spoke. "Even with that in mind, the fact remains that you're planning to cross the border and into dangerous territory. We will make sure that you don't."

"Wait", Sparx suddenly hovered up, quivering slightly. "Did you say 'we'?"

The shadow cackled in response. And it wasn't long until it suddenly raised both hands in the air, clapping them with a loud snapping sound omitted from them. And just like that, two blurs were seen going towards both sides of the creature before forming more clearly as soon as they started to stand still.

A state of heavy breathing was felt from both creatures, both of them leering straight ahead towards Spyro, Sparx and Ango with illuminating eyes that penetrated the darkness. Smoke was also noted to arise from their nostrils, almost blurring their view to some extent.

"He's got a pair of accomplices with him!" the kid excitedly shouted at the top of his voice. "What are they going to do?"

Quickly, Ango took a tight grasp onto a nearby rock, looking closer at the pair of shadows. But in spite of getting a closer view, the postures still looked uncertain over what they would do. Amidst the blurs, Bandit made his step forward, still unable to have crucial details made out right in front of them through the hazy black mist.

"Stay back if you know what's good for you, kid. Otherwise…"

Almost snickering in place, he raised a hand to his neck and used it to imitate the sound of a knife slitting it. But regardless of the threatening move, Spyro's expression showed no fear, leaving him to crouch down with his claws almost digging into the dirt spewed beneath them.

"I'm not going back", Spyro stubbornly confirmed his next move. "We came this far for a reason, and we're not going to back down now!"

"Suit yourself", Bandit cackled once more. "Prepare to become a grilled sheep sandwich, kid!"

As quickly as he finished speaking, Bandit raised his hand straight into the air. And there, the two shadows took sidesteps away from the rat-shadow and started to make their run straight towards Spyro, Sparx and Ango, thundering across the ground at an extremely brisk pace.

In spite of them coming closer and closer, the wind surrounding them alongside the darkness and their motion blurs made things difficult to be able to identify what kind of creatures there are. At best, all that could be made out were short legs and ridges down their backs.

"What are those things coming towards us?" Spyro asked his companions, looking puzzled. "I can barely see their faces!"

"Let me help you out for once, buddy!"

Determined to show assistance, Sparx climbed up to the top of Spyro's head and held onto his horns, before ending up in a sitting position, his tail section being sent straight down the dragon's forehead to act as a headlamp upon him. The powerful yellow and white light intensity only seemed to make things difficult for him to see.

"Careful!" the dragon growled towards the dragonfly. "I'm almost blinded!"

The remark caused Sparx to look at his position and saw the effects of his tail upon Spyro's head. Sighing, he then pushed his tail up further, allowing for a clearer field of view around the dragon's eyes – much clearer than when he faced the darkness beforehand.

And so, he started to make his charge towards one of the shadows – the one to his immediate right. Showing concern of the type of life-threatening creature that it could be, he ended up lowering his head down to the point that the tips of his horns were pointed horizontally - almost causing Sparx to slip and fall.

"That's it!" Sparx cheered as he re-positioned himself. "Keep heading forward and bash them!"

"Do you really think I'm strong enough to attack them, especially after what happened with Cynder?" Spyro asked Sparx as he clutched his eyes closed as he went closer towards the shadow.

"Just go by instincts, pal! I know you can do it!"

And so, Spyro kept running, increasing his speed drastically over time, still aiming for the left shadow. Getting closer and closer left him with a facial expression showing an increase in confidence, knowing that he would make any form of collision upon the incoming shadow.

And then his horns felt something. He felt them graze the creature from its chest, leaving him to crawl almost directly underneath it. By instinct, he lifted his head up into the air, causing the shadow to be sent soaring, landing on its back several meters from the dragon.

"That one was sent towards the other side of the chasm! How…?"

"No time for questions!" Sparx hastily shouted before Spyro could finish his sentence. "Go for the other one at the other side!"

Sparx pointed straight towards the other side of the chasm, where the other shadowed creature was seen making its way towards the dragon. And there, the same situation began again – a simple charge with horns pointed towards the target, ensuring that he would strike it again.

The horns struck the chest, yet Spyro found difficulty trying to lift it above the ground as the creature managed to take a grasp upon his back. Its claws dug deep into it, inflicting an expression of pain upon the dragon, lucky not to have shed blood by the incident.

"Their claws!" Spyro struggled to exclaim his experience with his accomplices. "This one's trying to dig into my spine!"

"I'm coming!!"

Ango's triumphant shout caused both creatures to pay attention towards the way that Spyro came from – the kid was seen running his way towards them just as fast as he did at the market chase; heading there with his hands clutched together, hoping to do whatever he could to further assist the situation.

"Ango, wait!" Spyro called out with concern. "We need you to unlock the-"

Ango didn't listen to Spyro's words. By the time the dragon was close to finishing his sentence off, the kid was already on top of his back, trying to tear away the monster with his own two hands. A faint white glow surrounded him as he tried to pull him further and further away.

And then he finally did, sending both himself and the shadow rolling among the ground towards one of the walls. There, the kid brought his attention towards the shadow – unable to look into its face without Sparx's assistance, but still looking confident nonetheless.

"Never underestimate the descendant of a pirate!" he chuckled excitedly.

But before he could even try to make any form of damage towards it, a set of flames were instantly sent from the shadow's mouth towards the kid, almost burning his clothes and fur had he not suddenly jumped out of the way and towards another part of the clearing.

The kid soon managed to lose the creature by hiding in a rock, and as soon as the shadow left the area he started to make his way back towards Spyro. And he could have been there had he not felt a sharp sting crack across his back, like a giant bee fighting over a Queen.

"Yeowch!" he screamed with pain, soon clutching his teeth together afterwards. "That armadillo's trying to get me from behind!"

The mention of the species left Spyro's eyes to widen. "This 'Bandit' character is an Armadillo?"

"Just attack him, quick!"

Sparx pointed straight towards the distant shadows of Ango and Bandit, at that point there being a chase from those two. The kid's screams for mercy as he tried to escape from what looked like a whip made out of leather was enough to cause an avalanche if the mountain peaks were not so dry.

Gritting his teeth tightly, Spyro then made his way towards the pair. Yet in spite of his running speed, Bandit was able to run at an elegant speed, with his pace almost matching with Ango whom at the time managed to run further away from the whip and its lethal cracking.

"He's too fast!" Spyro exclaimed as he struggled to keep up with the pair.

"There's no such thing as too fast when you're around", encouraged Sparx. "Just do what comes naturally!"

Spyro looked on at Bandit's silhouette ahead. There he noticed that he just seemed to keep running faster and faster – a speed that almost seemed too impossible to lower his head down and approach him with his head. There had to be another way, he thought to himself.

Maintaining a cool composure, he then kept up his running speed, gradually getting faster and faster towards the armadillo's shadow. By the time, he was able to catch up with Ango, being able to send his whip directly towards the ground and almost cracking his feet.

But before he could even do anything else… he felt a burning sensation on his back. He looked behind him, and there, he saw what happened – Spyro _breathed fire_ onto him! The burning sensation was enough for him to come to a stop and performed a side-roll on the ground, allowing for Ango to make his run far away from the scene.

"That's one major inferno, senor!" Bandit jumped at the sight of what looked like a singed cape on his back. "What are you trying to do to me?"

Spyro was left unable to answer the question, but rather reflecting on his previous action. "That was… fire?"

Spyro suddenly stopped in his tracks, quickly looking on at the tips of his snout as he did so. Traces of smoke were seen making their rise into the air above, almost exactly like the barrel of a revolver right after shooting several bullets in point blank precision.

The sight left Sparx to make his way over there, looking on at the sight for himself. There, he dropped his mouth and hovered lower and lower towards the ground, his face still looking almost too unsure to be able to take in the situation ahead. Looking more perplexed, he placed one of his hands on his chin and proceeded to turn around.

"So if you can breathe fire again…!"

Sparx's eyes instantly lit up as he looked further up ahead. There, he saw some of the large fallen branches of some of the leafless trees, littered among some of the walls and the ground. Looking at them left him with nothing more than a face showcasing a very positive expression.

"Quick! Do us a favor and light up the area!"

Spyro reacted with a brief nod before he started to make his way towards them, one by one. And one by one, he spewed out the same type of flames from his mouth that singed Bandit's clothing, this time completely igniting the branches to form small torches upon the ground.

Eventually, five of which were lit, giving him room to see more of the clearing around him. Though he could now make out everything that were 25 meters away from the burning wood, all that could be made out was several tall rocks in the middle of the clearing and a steep passageway back up to the higher level. But in spite of seeing so little, his face gained a very sudden boost of confidence.

"My power!" the dragon jumped up with his face still showing surprise. "I can't believe it's starting to come back!"

And as if he had just overtaken someone in a running marathon, the dragon made his run towards the steep slope. By the time he got there, he already noted that Ango started to make haste up there himself, climbing up there as elegantly as a squirrel in a busy autumn day.

Then, he followed suit, climbing his way as calmly as possible until he managed to reach the top. Finally he was out in the open air again. He maintained his confident smile as he turned back towards the archway, yet when he did so, his eyes were focused straight towards Bandit – now illuminated in the daylight.

He was a brown armadillo, with a ten galleon hat gracing the top of his head, a sky blue shirt and matching backpack on his back, and a red neck scarf that covered his chest in conjunction with a black belt clipped around his waist with a gold buckle etched with the image of a star in a circle.

"Wait a minute", Bandit gasped with his jaw dropped as soon as his eyes were fixed on the dragon. "It's you! You're that dragon that hooked me up with Ember!"

"Great, another strange animal thinking that you did something for them", Sparx looked down moodily. "Are you really sure you didn't visit this place before?"

"I mean it", Spyro confirmed his presence while walking closer to Sparx. "I haven't encountered this area before, and I certainly don't know who this Ember is."

"What??" a figure shouted with an ear-piercing high-pitched squeal. "After all this time that I spent chasing you, worrying for your safety?"

The shout left Spyro to suddenly turn towards his right. And there, he saw the two shadows that he saw chase off before, now slowly being exposed into the light. One of them stood further ahead from the other, instantly being the first of which to be displayed in full detail.

It was a pink dragon that stood on all fours, with graceful purple spikes that went down her back, horns that curved to some extent, a pointed mouth, deep purple eyes, and wore a heart shaped locket around its neck. The posture made it obviously feminine, but before Spyro could even come close to a conclusion, it suddenly went towards him and lashed its heart-shaped tail towards him, slapping him straight across the face.

"Ow!" Spyro winced, reacting with a sting on his jaw. "What was that for?"

"You don't even know me anymore, don't you Spyro?" sulked the pink dragon. "I'm Ember, and you just made me very mad that you completely forgot about me!"

"Ember, calm down", reassured a young male voice from behind her. "Spyro hasn't been here in six months, so if he's out of the loop, then he's out of the loop."

"What do you know, Flame?" she hissed at him back, still facing the purple dragon. "Your mom and dad haven't left the village for long periods of time, so what kind of experience do you have?"

"I don't go by experience. Rather, I would go by looking at creatures' feelings."

Ember looked behind her, and ended up seeing Flame for herself – a red-orange dragon that looked almost just like Spyro in anatomy, but he had straight horns and significantly less ridges going down his back, along with copper brown eyes shown in place.

"What is this feeling thing you're trying to refer to?" Ango tried to ask him.

"I can see in Spyro's eyes that he feels very insecure about this place", replied the red dragon. "Given that he hasn't approached this area in a while, I can understand."

"Just out of question, what have you been doing all this time?" Ember asked as she walked up towards Flame. "The last we heard, you went to fight the Sorcerer and never came back."

"That's something that I doubt I would explain right now", responded Spyro with a perplexed tone. "The more I think about it, the more confusing it can get."

"And the more my mind starts to think about dancing fairgrounds and pixies!" exclaimed Sparx, twitching his fingers. "Man, I need somewhere to sit down."

Blinking cautiously, Sparx ended up hovering down towards the ground and found himself a sitting position on a nearby rock. His tail section was left to hang there, as if he was awaiting a doctor's appointment. The confusion was left to rotate around his head, much like the self-described fairgrounds that he managed to bring across.

Spyro and Ango, however, looked at each other, understanding that they still had a pathway to make regardless of the situation that they were in. And so, they both looked upon Bandit and the dragons, both of them sharing the same stern facial expressions together.

"That's still the least of my concerns right now", the purple dragon reminded the others. "What concerns me though is making my way past this checkpoint."

"As I said, none can do", leered Bandit. "The Sorcerer set up that barrier for a reason, and that was to stop anyone from coming in this direction. Flame, Ember and I have also been instated here to stop the Sorcerer from coming into the village."

"That's the point. I don't know how powerful the Sorcerer's magic has developed during his takeover of the village, but I want to take a closer look into it."

At the sound of the dragon's response, Bandit's facial expression soon became stern. "If that's the case, I'll let you through but don't say I didn't warn you, Spyro. We lost you six months ago, and we're not going to lose you again!"

Bandit outstretched his hand towards the dragon, placing it securely around the marks that were left behind from the encounter. Blinking gently, Spyro looked back at the armadillo, with his eyes obviously showing that his goals are still set in stone regardless of the warning.

In the meantime, Ango made his walk straight towards the gate, placing his hands straight towards the eerie lights that surrounded it. He allowed them to get absorbed inside, slowly yet instantaneously, almost as if they were sinking in a mud bath of epic proportions.

"Everything will be alright. I am pretty sure that Spyro knows what he's doing."

"Great", Sparx unenthusiastically muttered, letting his head and arms drop. "Do we really need a psychic to try and make this a lighter place? It would be easier if you get a good sense of humor every now and again, okay?"

"Sparx, don't distract him while he opens the gateway", Spyro glared at him arrogantly. "Just leave him to his own devices."

As if to say 'whatever', Sparx glanced back at Spyro, bringing his fists down as low as he can go while giving out a broad growl from his teeth. In the meantime, a sudden burst of light was shown from directly the other side of the area, right where Ango was seen trying to break through the arch.

"It's working! I think we've got a way through!!"

His remark caused everyone to surround him as if he was holding a newborn puppy in his hand, except that instead of that, his hands omitted a spark of white light within the portal, gently dissolving the contents of the arch like bits of sorbet on a hot summer day.

Finally, a last burst of light surrounded the area, instantly engulfing the portal in its entirety. And at that response, the light around the arch completely vanished, leaving a clear way through, deeper and deeper into the mountains ahead. Though it showed a dark passage ahead, Ango smiled back at his success with hope in his eyes.

"Okay, you've just opened up a way through to a darker part of the Dragon Realms", remarked Bandit. "Don't say I didn't warn you in going through there, though – it's your funeral."

"It still doesn't matter", replied Spyro. "I have a mission to undergo in there, and that's final."

Bandit, no matter how insecure he felt about the entire situation, was left to bring up one of his hands, patting it on Spyro's back, thus encouraging the brave decision made. Knowing that he now had the confidence of a strange armadillo behind him as well, the dragon made his way through the arch first, making sure to smile back at Bandit, Ember and Flame before he ventured deep inside, taking his companions with him.

"Good luck, Spyro!" she waved him off using one of her front paws and her tail simultaneously. "And if you see any gem stones, please bring one back for me, will you?"

"Ember, why did you ask for that?" Flame rolled his eyes directly at her. "You know you're more crazed for Bandit now."

"I know, but I still see him as an old friend. I never knew I'd miss him so much until now."

Sighing deeply, Ember brought her head down, thinking much about her statement. Her tail gently twitched as various thoughts crept onto her mind – various fantasies that involved her receiving all sorts of attention from the dragon as if he was a gentler variation on a chauvinist.

Those thoughts were soon settled when Bandit came to her side, stroking her head gently. And that touch was enough for her to look on at him, then at the gate, and back again. His expression might as well have said everything, she thought to herself. Maybe Spyro had a reason for doing what he was doing, and whichever happened, she had to accept the decision that was made.

* * *

The path beyond the gateway was nowhere near as bright and scenic as the passageway that led to the top of the summit. Instead, the walls obscured almost every trace of natural light to the area, and the narrower path added to a claustrophobic feeling as they walked further and further. 

The red weeds that littered the ground remained in place, stuck between the rocks, though some of which were close enough to slowly turn into varying shades of crimson and purple. The stale scent that erupted from them was enough to turn Sparx's face a bright shade of lemon yellow, looking more and more fearful for these surroundings as he progressed further with the other.

"Why did we have to go through that door, Spyro? This place is scaring the crud out of me!"

Clutching his eyes, he quickly hovered towards Spyro's back and took cover on his neck. Clutching onto two of the ridges down the back of his head, he looked around the rocks and saw the red weeds turning purpler in color as they went on, complete with various darkened shards littering the dry ground.

"Honestly, I'm seeing more dead stuff than you'd find at a funeral out here", the dragonfly frowned, almost looking as if he was about to cry. "I don't like this place one bit."

A further walk up the path led the amount of dark shards to increase in quantity, and the red weeds starting to look more like indigo weeds. The occasional bone was also seen, cleanly picked away by whatever predators might have found this unsafe location to be their home.

"This definitely doesn't feel like the way to the Dragon Temple", Sparx continued to speak fearfully as he turned towards Spyro. "I can't even see any familiar surroundings of that and the nearby swamp."

"The flying stick is right", mimicked Ango. "This doesn't feel very positive in its energy. Are you sure you wanted to get through that gateway?"

Spyro almost instantly replied with a simple nod, though not necessarily an upbeat one. "I just wanted to find a way back to the temple no matter what the cost. Still, I didn't imagine that the path would be like _this."_

Before Spyro could proceed to talk further, he suddenly felt a sliding sensation from underneath his front legs. And before anything else could even happen, he was left to slip down with his chest landing with a thud. There he saw a crumbling set of ground, with him hanging over the edge from the chest up.

"My footing!" the dragon reacted, almost falling from the crumbling platform.

"Hang on to me!" Ango called out as he edged closer.

Quickly, Spyro brought out his tail and wrapped it around Ango's leg. Then, they both assisted each other in bringing themselves up onto firm standing ground again. As soon as that happened, the dragon looked down, and saw that he was on a sensitive crumbling cliff side.

He looked ahead. And there, he saw several islands and bridges of light shown right ahead of them. Rocks encased in fire were seen spitting out from the purple void that surrounded the scenery ahead, almost as if they were bound to erupt an entire scene filled with chaos.

"It looks like…" Spyro paused for several seconds, trying to regain his composure. "We've reached the end of the world."

"Hey, wait a second", blinked Sparx. "Doesn't this place look familiar to us?"

Sparx pointed towards the scenery, and in a blink of an eye, Spyro realised that the dragonfly might have a point. The familiar swirling patterns along with the similar rocky structures ahead could only mean one thing – it felt as if he had almost definitely been in a place like that before.

And in that place he faced a brave battle, right in the center platform as portrayed in the scene ahead. While it hosts something completely different than a portal that led to the Dark Master, it still held a vicious structure enough to still recognise it as a place that remained etched into his mind.

"_Convexity…"_

The very mention of that word was enough for Sparx's eyes to widen in place, before he looked straight towards Spyro's eyes. He saw that they meant just about everything to him – the incident that occurred there just a short while before they made their arrival to this strange area.

Visions of fighting with Cynder as a giant black dragon that stormed the skies with fear and pain was enough for him to shake in his legs. Though he knew that he managed to survive the encounter, the memories that remained behind were too rough for him to try and raise his mouth to speak.

"What kind of flashback are you having with this?" Ango asked him with an over-exaggerated expression of concern.

"It's too hard to explain. All I can say is that I fought a black dragon at a place like this."

Ango looked on at the dragon. Though he didn't explain it in full detail, the kid was happy to nod back with a reassuring gesture upon him. Spyro saw into his eyes and his understanding, feeling firm in knowing that he was able to see into his feelings regardless of whether they were spoken or not.

"But… what if this Sorcerer is similar in power?" he pondered as he thought about the village's scenario once more.

With an expression mixing calmness and nerves, Spyro focused his attention towards the open area ahead. Though he was unsure about what kind of power the Sorcerer might have formed to generate this area, he knew that no matter what the cost it had to be approached if he needed to continue. And yet, the urge to tackle it increased as all of a sudden, a burning rock shot out from the void, straight towards the group.

"DUCK!!!" Sparx exclaimed with dread.

In response, the group all managed to get around the rock and jumped straight down the cliff, heading their way towards the lilac void that was underneath them. It almost looked as if they would be consumed by the intense light energy that was underneath them.

But all of a sudden, a white bridge of light was shown right underneath them, acting as a way to land for them. And as soon as they got there, they started to make a safe landing, leaving them to start exploring the scene directly around them. Several rocks were still seen being sent in their direction, however.

"All of these rocks", Spyro starred at them wide-eyed. "Where are they coming from?"

"I'm no genius like I said earlier", replied Sparx, "but it is best that we try to escape from those and make our way through here before anything bad happens."

Quickly, they all made their run along the bridge of light, trying to escape from the rocks. Some of which only just skimmed above their heads, only leaving for traces of warmth to end up coming around them. Some of which were unlucky enough to try and singe their tails if they came close enough.

It wasn't long until they soon made their way towards a large circular platform in the middle of the area, moving around like a fairground ride without the seats. Cautiously they all jumped on one by one before starting to approach another bridge of light at the other side.

"Come on champ!" Sparx brashly shouted as he went further ahead.

Sparx's comment was enough for Spyro and Ango to start pacing their way further and further ahead, running along the light bridge as if it was an archway that led to a distant yet heavenly location. In spite of that, it still felt cold and hard upon the feet as they ran further and further along it.

But then, they felt an eerie warmth and glow from behind. Quickly, Ango turned behind him as he ran, and there he saw the bridge start to crumble apart as if it was made entirely out of Tetris blocks. The pacing in which they fell also increased, leaving him to jump in his place as he witnessed them.

"Spyro, the platforms are caving in!" the kid screamed as if he was being strangled by a yeti. "Run faster!"

"I'm running as fast as I can!"

Spyro looked behind him as he ran, also managing to witness the crumbling state of the bridge of light. Taking a deep inhale, he focused his attention back forward again, looking straight towards the other end of the bridge of light – the safer and more secure end.

Running faster and faster from the crumbling platforms, he soon made his way right past Ango and straight towards the giant platform. With determination, he made a flying leap straight towards the platform for himself, soaring as graceful as a bat in the air.

And then he landed safely on both feet. As he did that, he turned back and saw Ango catching up. As soon as he reached the tip of the bridge, he made a flying leap himself, sending one leg forward and his other leg behind him. And then, he too managed to land safely, breathing heavily as he landed.

"There's no going back now", Spyro frowned as he looked back at the remains of the bridge. "I think we have to just keep running!"

Sparx soon appeared by his side, his face mixing certainty yet tension. "Damn straight, pal. If there's any way away from this place…"

The dragonfly breathed in gently as he looked away from the crumbling bridge of light, towards a scene to his direct right. And there, there stood a giant white spectacle right ahead of him – a tower that stood almost just like Cynder's lair, but obviously had safer stone markings placed upon it.

Yet its ghastly platinum appearance was enough to shine upon the group's eyes with fear being circulated around it. Several bolts of lightning crashed above it, allowing it to shine nothing more than a giant diamond right in the middle of this mysterious and unearthly void.

"It might just have to be through this door here", Sparx pointed on at it, almost frozen in place. "That's the only hypothesis we can make of it."

The towering gates shimmered gently in the uneasy environment, glowing upon their eyes with a glare that could almost freeze their souls into place if it could. Yet, it didn't come close to intimidating Spyro, as he walked his way straight towards the gate with his eyes showing a deep amount of curiosity.

"Dragons first, I'm guessing?" the dragonfly twitched his eyes in response.

A bright purple thunderbolt appeared above their head, illuminating a brief flash around the area and following almost immediately with a thunderous crack that rang around the empty void for several seconds. And with that flash, the building was illuminated in an eerier glow than the usual.

Regardless of its structure or the surroundings that were around it, Spyro showed no fear as he went up the stairs, his footsteps echoing gently in the almost empty void that was around him, and his claws clashing with the metal as if he was wearing horseshoes upon his feet.

As soon as he reached the door, he turned back and saw Sparx and Ango making their approach, both of them looking as if they want to see the dragon get through the area with them, yet both of them didn't look any close to as confident as their purple comrade.

All they knew was that if this was going to be an obstacle between them and the Dragon Temple, it had to be traversed. It was a feeling that remained on Spyro and Sparx since the plight to Cynder – not a single path that leads to an ultimate goal is considered to be as peaceful as generally implied.

Bearing that feeling in mind, they all went through the door together. Obscured by the darkness that was inside, it was soon assumed that if it was to be considered a checkpoint on their journey to the temple, then this thick darkness would have to be approached with extreme caution.

_-end of chapter-_


	4. The Collision

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

I am impressed with the following for Chapter 3. Thanks for all comments and whatnot so far.

There were so many things about that chapter that seemed to develop in the months that it was formed. Initially, Bandit, Ember and Flame weren't going to be the group that would prevent Spyro from getting through the gateway; that role used to be set for three other dragons that worked for the Sorcerer, but eventually that idea was scrapped because there was little room for character development, and their role would have coincidentally led up to a more complicated plot twist that even I got myself confused with. But still, it was fun to write when placing some more familiar characters in the setting.

I know that there were some people that weren't impressed with Ember falling for Bandit in the middle of Shadow Legacy, though personally I can't see what's wrong about it. It's no different than pairing up a dragon and a faun (Spyro and Elora), or the most developed pairing of a cheetah and a rabbit (Hunter and Bianca). I just see that the Spyro universe doesn't take itself too seriously at times. And concerning his link with Ember, I'm under the assumption that they're like Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose – the girl is crazed over the hero, who wants to escape from her as soon as possible. That's why I can't see much evidence on them being a worthwhile pairing.

But concerns abound, it's time we went onto chapter 4. What does this strange white building have in store for our heroes? There's only one obvious way to find out. Enjoy!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

* * *

The interior of the large building in the middle of the Convexity-like abyss actually looked more welcoming than most foreign places than Spyro and Sparx managed to visit in the past, if the stern facial expression on the former was of any given indication.

Bright white marble walls graced the sides of the corridors that they walked through, easily matching among the floor and ceiling around them. A small staircase that led through to another tall door resided right in front of them, leaving them all to go beyond there together.

Even through the door, they were welcomed by the same pleasant yet uneasy sign of white stone gracing their entire field of view. Though Spyro and Ango felt slightly at unease, Sparx ended up not taking the situation seriously, exclaiming cheesy joke after cheesy joke towards the pair to lift their spirits.

"…and then the Frogweed said 'That's no walking mushroom; that's my wife!'"

The dragonfly responded with a loud cackle of laughter from his mouth before he ended up focusing his attention towards his accomplices once more. But however, he saw absolutely no clear and calm response from either of the pair; not a single chuckle was exchanged from their mouths.

All that Sparx could do was lower his arms bitterly, trying to find another way to raise their spirits as they went further and further into the building. And just like that, his eyes lit up, ready to make another set of bold attempts to raise the spirits of his accomplices.

"Let's try an easier one", he smiled faintly. "Why did the dragon cross the road?"

"Sparx!" Spyro quickly scowled at him.

"What?"

Spyro came to a sudden stop, pointing straight on at a structure ahead. There, they saw a door that looked very similar to the gateway they passed on the way inside the building – also colored an eerie white color, though it had differences thanks to the use of five round objects embedded inside it.

"Look at this door", Spyro commanded to his companions. "There's something about it that seems odd."

"I can feel the same. Look at those stones!"

Ango pointed straight on at them – five ancient relics embedded inside the door itself, glistening with a dull shade of teal. He went towards them and felt them for himself, his eyes widening upon the touch. The fresh warmth upon them felt that whoever was beyond the door was basically waiting for them.

Maintaining a shy expression, he looked back towards his peers, his legs starting to shake upon the spot. A similar motion was shown upon Sparx, whose attitude to the location in general still didn't feel as close to confident as shown on the rest of his peers.

"They look as if they could be removed from the door", Ango confirmed their placement, still carefully touching the stones one by one. "But what's the point in doing so?"

He almost went as far as to trying to pull one of the stones out from its sockets, but instincts left him to do otherwise. Regardless, his attention was soon shifted towards the door left being slightly open, leaving him to show a keen and optimistic look towards it.

"The Sorcerer seems to be a sitting duck", he remarked with a skip. "I think we can get to him easily!"

Spyro's heart rapidly did a somersault. "So you're saying that we took a direction to HIS lair instead of the Dragon Temple?"

Hesitantly, he turned back towards Sparx, whom was seen looking at the marble walls around him. With his antennas lowered down, he gave out a frown and a nod of the head, each of his actions being a set of triggers to cause Spyro to suddenly crouch down with fear.

"What if I'm under prepared to fight him? I still don't think I've recovered since fighting Cynder."

"Relax, Spyro. You'll be fine", smiled Sparx with poise, hovering down to his level. "You gained your fire back really easily, so I'm sure you can take down this weird magic geezer as well."

Looking more reassured about the situation, Sparx hovered his way towards Spyro's level and patted him gently upon the head, before helping him raise his head once more. All that the dragon could do was look closer towards the dragonfly's eyes, knowing that all that he could do was take his words in.

"And besides, there's no turning back", the dragonfly reminded him. "The path back to the village collapsed, remember?"

Spyro opened his mouth to speak, yet nothing came out. He did realise however that Sparx brought up a valid issue – the fall from the crumbling platform and the vanishing bridges of light were enough proof that they won't be going back anytime soon.

That thought remained etched inside his head as he came to imagine the situation inside his head. If he needed to get closer towards the Dragon Temple, the building had to be seen as an obstacle, yet it can't have been as crucial as actually traversing it to meet eye to eye with the Sorcerer, especially at this early stage.

"This might not be how I imagined I could get through this strange area, but at least this is better than nothing", Spyro troublingly accepted the situation.

Clutching his muscles together and inhaling deeply, he took a cautious approach towards the door and walked inside. Nearby, both Sparx and Ango were seen observing their surroundings carefully – the eerie white structures and tall windows were enough to make their hairs stand on end, if they had any in particular.

"Come on!"

The shout caused them both to turn straight towards the door, where they saw Spyro vanishing his way into the darkness. Quickly, they soon managed to follow him deep inside, being careful not to disturb any sensitive porcelain pots on their way out of the room and into the corridor at the other side of the door.

What awaited them at the other side was another long corridor of light, this time outstretching what was apparently a pit that flashed from orange to purple to pink and to white and back, eerily yet steadily, as if the colors were blending in together to form uneasy and disturbing shades around them.

Yet that was far from the concern that remained on their minds – all that did concern them was another door at the end of the corridor. Just like the door before it, it was slightly open, positioned as if whatever was inside was almost waiting for any visitors in any shape or form.

* * *

Soon, they all went through the door and continued their way through to the next room. And there, their eyes were met with a large and spacious yet shaded area, with only a series of stone textures and a large window around the other side attracting their attention.

Not even its white color scheme beyond the darkness was enough to add ease towards them, as the view of the Convexity-like void from the window was enough to make them show expressions of fear, especially on Sparx and Ango. Yet Spyro, however, looked towards the floor and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the strange irregular tiles there.

"Now what?" Sparx questioned him, putting his hands on the upper part of his tail section.

"I'm still thinking about that door."

With a faint blink, he looked back to the door that he initially came from. His mind was focused straight towards the door before then – the one with the five stones that were somehow embedded inside it. It was a thought that left him with an expression that was far from reassuring.

"I'm guessing that someone placed those stones in there to get inside in the first place", he predicted, thinking about the removable stones.

"What are you referring to, cheesecake?" asked Sparx with a jesting voice.

"I have a bad feeling that one of the guardians sensed me in this place, thinking that I was captured by the Sorcerer, and went here to find us. Or worse…"

Sparx edged closer, curious to hear Spyro finish off his sentence, but… before he could do that, a shadow quickly passed above them like that of a flying squirrel. The sight was enough for the dragonfly to somersault backwards before somehow soaring on his back prior to regaining his usual upright position.

The shadow then made its way among the walls, the floor, and even among the ceiling. And with every passing moment, it showed a more sinister appearance – even if the clearest detail that could be made out was that it was a bipedal creature, it wasn't enough to show a slight trace of fear in Spyro's eyes.

"What was that?" the dragon loudly questioned the others.

"Look! I see something at the other side of the room!"

Ango pointed straight ahead, and right there, they saw a shadow. A long navy cloak concealed its identity, making it very difficult to decipher any facial details. What did make it intimidating beyond there was a staff in his right hand - a wooden staff with golden circular prongs - as well as the sight of a deep purple aura surrounding the creature with a bone-curling feeling.

The stranger took several steps towards the middle of the room, and just like that, it stopped right in the middle of it – standing on top of a stone slab with the image of a solar eclipse placed on it. It then cackled on the spot, its cries somehow causing Sparx to cower behind Ango, shaking his tail with fright.

"Well, well, well", the stranger spoke with a gritty and deep voice tone. "Is this creature another visitor from the Dragon Village, wishing to put an end to seeing their precious life force draining from the realms?"

"I'm not from the village", replied Spyro. "All I want at the end of the day is to return to the Dragon Temple – where I belong."

"What? Who would ask for a 'temple' at a time like this?" the creature angrily responded, banging its staff. "There isn't one around here! Step into the light, you liar!"

The cloaked creature raised its left arm and sent it to the side, allowing for a long sleeve to drift in the stale air that surrounded them. The very motion left Spyro to turn back to his accomplices, cautiously twitching his tail as he did so. And just like that, Sparx poked his head from behind Ango, still slightly shaking from the creature's appearance.

"Go on. Do as he says", the dragonfly urged him. "If he thinks you're a liar, at least give your heart away."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Sparx", Spyro reacted sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Almost in a flash, he placed a paw into the light, illuminating the claws and purple skin texture right in front of the creature's eyes. In spite of only seeing a small and significant part of his body, he knew that he was about to come across no ordinary opponent.

Just as quickly, the dragon placed the rest of his body into the light, stepping through as if he was a bold majesty in an otherwise dreary location. The full exposure left him to react with surprise, stepping back with a sudden sense of shock showering down his spine.

"What? Spyro? I thought… I thought I was through with you!"

The dragon reacted with a twitch of the mouth in return. "You got my name right, but I don't know who you are and why you launched your plague upon the village!"

Spyro's brash remark was enough to make the creature freeze in place. In response, he slowly and steadily came closer and closer towards the dragon, leering straight towards him with a perplexed yet conclusive pair of eyes showing from the inside of his hood.

"So, it IS true", he wheezed with wonder. "You ARE coming down with amnesia, yet you still won't back down from a fight. That sounds like the Spyro that I know."

Snickering in place, he clutched tightly onto his staff and twirled around in place, allowing for the fabric of his cloak to float gently in the still breeze that circulated the room. Not long after that, he came to a stop, using his glowing eyes to leer back at the trio ahead.

Though Spyro had a bigger sign of determination in his eyes, Sparx and Ango weren't far behind as they looked on at him, curious over what kind of moves he could be able to pull off towards them. And then, the creature stepped forward and took a hold on the hood that surrounded his head.

"Alas, your time to perish will be now, no matter what the cost. I, the Sorcerer, will make sure of that."

Maintaining a cackle in his voice, he then removed the hood from his voice. His head looked almost lizard-like in texture, with him donning gray and red colors around him. The texture showed him to be clearly lizard-like, complete with an additional attribute of a thick beak-like nose that hung down to the middle of his neck.

He then gave out a low cackle from his mouth, raising his head in the air to reveal a grin with sharp teeth that could match those of a tyrannosaurus. Opening his jaw allowed there to show a sinister flat tongue colored maroon in color, only just sitting right inside his mouth.

"Whoa! You're saying THAT thing is a 'sorcerer'?" Sparx almost froze stiff. "He looks more like some kind of cross-dressing witch!"

"What kind of crazy ideas do you keep ending up with?" moaned Spyro, shaking his head. "Besides, this is now or never. We escape from his grasp by fighting him, or we fall right in front of him. We have no choice."

"If this is what you're going to do, I'm going to help you out however I can", said Ango as he approached the pair, outstretching a helping hand.

"I'll try as well, but I still don't like the looks of his face", Sparx replied pessimistically. "He looks as if he wants to eat me like I'm a floating piece of pasta."

Not long after Sparx made his commentary, the Sorcerer made his booming cackle again, this time raising his tongue up slightly as he did so. His grasp on his staff was enough to show that he meant business with whatever kind of assault he could make on the dragonfly.

"Now that I think of it…" Sparx shivered even more, as well as gulping a part of the dense air.

And just like that, a series of lightning bolts were unleashed from the tip of the sorcerer's staff, being sent straight across the room in lightning fashion. Some of them stopped at the wall, while some were unlucky to try and chase Sparx and Ango back towards the wall behind them.

"There's no backing down now", Spyro shouted towards Sparx and Ango, ensuring them to not flee the scene. "We don't have a choice! It's now or never!"

"I'm on it, chief!" reacted Sparx as he hovered his way back to the dragon.

In response, Sparx held onto Spyro's horns as the dragon started to make his dash towards the Sorcerer. It was then that they knew that there was no other way back – the only way to bypass the scene was to defeat the Sorcerer and escape by whatever means possible.

Yet, in spite of that it didn't look easy. The expression that was shown upon his gruesome structured face showed that he could easily be a worthy opponent if required. And the size of his staff and his starting spell was more than enough to make sure of that.

"Watch out below, you little runt!"

The Sorcerer raised his staff into the air once again; that in turn reacted with the ceiling to create an earth crunching rumble. The sound caused Spyro to suddenly stop, leaving Sparx to end up almost sliding down his nose, recovering in the last minute thanks to the hovering of his wings.

And there, they saw the effect of the spell. The ceiling soon vanished into nothing as if it was nothing more than a magic canvas. Some of the shooting rocks from the exterior of the building were launched straight towards the pair, coming down in a blaze of fire.

"More falling rocks?" the dragon questioned with dread.

"Quick!" Ango exclaimed from the side, raising his voice to almost a squeak. "Jump in my direction!"

Trusting Ango's response, Spyro made his dash towards Ango, trying his best to dodge the falling rocks as he did so. All that Sparx could do was try and hold onto his partner's horns for dear life, screaming as he felt the burning intensity of the rocks start to touch his tail.

And then, it wasn't long until they finally reached Ango. Instead of being an active contributor to the fight, he was actually seen charging with an eerie white aura, holding onto a small rock as he ended up doing so. As soon as he saw Spyro, he made eye contact with him, showing his eyes to look completely deprived of their irises and pupils.

"Ango, what are you doing?" the dragon asked at the sight of his actions.

"I'm trying to focus as much energy as I can to deflect his magic. I'm sure I can weaken him down."

The rock suddenly lifted itself into the air, as if he was trying to pull off a levitation trick. The sight of it somehow left Spyro and Sparx concerned over what he was trying to do, but before they could witness any more of it… one of the falling rocks only just scrapped Spyro's tail, causing him to react by quickly making a 180 degrees turn.

"You just keep going!" the kid ordered him.

Quickly, Spyro made his dash away from the kid and straight towards the open space of the room once more. The Sorcerer was left to remain in place, tightly clutching onto his staff as he summoned more energy from the many geysers that completely littered the room, now spitting small plasma rocks from the tip.

As elegantly as a racehorse, Spyro made his roll around the geysers, maintaining his focus straight towards his opponent. As soon as he managed to reach the final line of defense, he made a leap into the air and tried to breathe fire upon him, but the Sorcerer quickly summoned a shield of ice, deflecting his attack.

"What a foolish move that was. You've just faced a run for your life, dragon!"

Cackling, he brought his arms straight into the air, allowing for several smaller shadows to show from above the roof panel. Spyro looked up, and witnessed the 'shadows' for themselves – a series of small yet painfully powerful icicles ready to shower down directly onto the floor.

And then they started to fall down towards the ground like snowballs in a thunderstorm. All that the dragon could do was dodging by whatever means possible, whether it means rolling away from his opponent or using his wings to try and block off the smallest of the set.

"Take this!" the Sorcerer quickly summoned another spell behind the dragon's back.

Before Spyro could recover from blocking several smaller icicles all at once, he suddenly felt a burning sensation ripple his spine. There, he turned around and saw an enflamed rock roll its way along his spine like a bowling pin, causing him to roll to the ground and eliminate any traces of the heat.

"Spyro!!" Sparx called out to him upon the sight of the boulder's damage.

"I'm okay! A little boulder hasn't hurt me before!"

Sparx briefly looked on at Spyro, nervous as if this could be the worst amount of damage he faced since the Cynder battle. Regardless of the move, the dragon still showed enough confidence to just keep fighting his opponent no matter what the risks would involve.

As elegantly as his previous attempt through, he once again tackled the geysers that separated him from the Sorcerer, this time being careful to roll more often than the usual thanks to the larger rocks launching their way directly towards him. He knew that as time would go on those gas-spewing cracks would only just get dramatically worse.

As soon as he faced a clean area, he made a giant leap towards the Sorcerer, his claws outstretched and his tail twitching tenser as he got further up. As he witnessed the dragon coming in his direction, he quickly prepared himself by raising his staff in the air, ready to cast a spell.

"You're mine!" Spyro beamed determinedly, smirking slightly as he closed in on his target.

Before the Sorcerer could conclude the spell, Spyro made his move by spewing flames from his mouth, and just like that, his opponent's cloak was completely covered in fire, leaving him to quickly jump up into the air, wincing as he felt the blaze making contact with his body.

Seeing him in his vulnerable state, the dragon proceeded to assault him from behind, quickly pushing him in the direction of the nearest geyser. And there, he ended up falling his way into them, leaving him unsuspecting to the rocks spewed out from them.

"What are you trying to do to my staff, you little runt?" the Sorcerer weakly asked as he got taken the many different ways of damage.

He looked on at his hand, and saw some of the boulders landing on that, making him struggling to keep his grip on his staff. That coupled with the fire made things more difficult to be able to maintain it tightly – it was almost as if he was prepared to fail a losing battle right there and now.

And then, he released his grip. Quickly, Spyro made his run towards the staff, and before the Sorcerer could even come close to picking it up again, the dragon claimed it first, running through the geysers safely with them. As soon as he got out, he met his eyes straight with Sparx, whom was seen waving his hands enthusiastically.

"Quick, pass it over here, chief!"

Spyro looked on at Sparx with a confused expression. The staff in his mouth could barely be carried by him, so what kind of chance did it have with Sparx? He maintained a perplexed expression as he tried to figure out the best way to tackle the situation.

But then, he felt a shadow creep from behind him. The Sorcerer was seen approaching him, using his hands to try and swipe his weapon away from the dragon. Yet he was too graceful in his dodges to let it go, and right in the last minute he raised his jaw into the air and tossed the staff straight towards Sparx… whom was lucky enough to get a hold of it in his hands.

"I… I got it!" he beamed with a surprising yet successful smile.

"Great!" Spyro responded with encouragement. "Now pass it over to Ango!"

Sparx turned behind and saw Ango waiting in place, his eyes still glowing without pupils and irises, and his hands conducting the bright white light, the levitating rock since being left to hover in a corner on its own accord. He then looked back at the way that he was holding the staff – the way he held onto the head of the instrument and left the rest to be able to get dragged on the floor at free will was enough for him to see the potential struggle he could have in taking it from place to place.

Knowing that there was no chance in which he would throw it, Sparx dragged the staff among the floor towards Ango's direction. As soon as he got to the kid, he instantly lured it inside his hands, leaving him to hold onto it; as soon as he did so, his eyes soon started to transform, making them tinted with a deep shade of gray.

"What kind of… energy… is in this thing…" he weakly questioned as the energy circulated around his body painfully. "Yeeeargh!!!"

"Hold on tight!" persuaded Spyro. "Don't let it go!"

Ango looked on at the Sorcerer's staff with a weak glance; unknowing of exactly what he could do with it, the least he could do was close his eyes tightly and attempt to conduct the energy he flowed through his body originally… right through the weapon itself.

But in spite of that instrument finding a new wielder for the time being, the Sorcerer still looked unconvinced to trying to step down. He brought his hands back, and as he did that, a surge of black and maroon energy sparked through his finger tips as if they were a collection of electrodes.

"I might have lost my staff, but it doesn't mean that I will give in without its power. Perish, now!"

The energy continued to cackle, and as it did that, the lighting in the room faced another significant change. Gone were the white textures that surrounded everything before, and there came a series of indigo tints showing right upon the stone surfaces, regardless of wherever they were.

In spite of the surrounding energy, Spyro's expression continued to show determination as he made another melee ambush upon his opponent. A pair of tail swipes was launched upon his face, but before he could perform a third, he soon felt a sharp jolt cast from the tips of his opponent's fingers.

"My tail!" Spyro panicked as he saw the tip of his tail omitting traces of smoke.

"Mind out of the way before you're turned into a Sunday roast!"

From nearby, Sparx made his rush towards the scene, looking more than determined to put a stop to this. As he did that, Spyro looked on at him with a confused expression. From what he witnessed when fighting Cynder, he barely was that brave to save his own friend from any means of peril at all.

Yet, there were numerous times that he managed to save him, so it's only fair that Sparx could make his mark now if he could. But before he could appreciate it… his body was suddenly given a conductive treatment of the energy that soared across the Sorcerer's hands, lifting him further up into the air with the light now forming a tractor beam between the two.

"Yeeeargh!" the dragonfly struggled to maintain himself as the beam consumed him.

The sight was enough for Spyro to watch on with dismay. "Sparx!!"

With a maniacal laugh, the Sorcerer launched the dragonfly straight towards the stone wall ahead of him, and there, Sparx was left to land intensely hard on his back, before sliding down on his wall and stopping his wings from hovering; presumably knocked out cold by the cold and hard landing.

"Sparx, just hang on!" Spyro exclaimed with panic. "I'll see if I can get you to safety!"

Shivering with concern for his companion, Spyro rushed straight towards Sparx, yet before he could even get close enough to touch him… the Sorcerer suddenly teleported directly in front of the dragon, standing over him with his hands continuing to cackle with the energy shown inside them.

"That's easier said than done, you purple gnat!"

There, the Sorcerer was left to try and launch a tractor beam towards Spyro, but before the dragon could get caught, he performed a side-roll to the side before strafing around his opponent, ready to repeat the move again in the event that he would do exactly the same trick.

Alas, he didn't; instead, he sent forth several shockwaves from his tips, straight towards the dragon; though he was cautious to dodge a fair amount of which… a few struck his chest, leaving him to face a strange pulse-like pain circulate around his body.

"I'm almost charged, Spyro!" shouted Ango with a victorious tone omitting from his mouth. "Quick, lure him far away from Sparx!"

Ango's command was enough to let Spyro shift his attention towards him. And there, he witnessed the kid, now being surrounded by black and white energy bolts, his eyes now glowing completely white without any single trace of his irises or pupils whatsoever.

Concerned for what happened to him, the dragon quickly rushed his way straight towards the kid, his face showing added surprise with every single energy bolt that was omitted from his body. And then he made a stop right in front of him, the bolts flashing in his eyes as if they were a laser lightshow.

"I still don't understand what your intentions are with that thing", questioned Spyro as he looked closer at Ango and his grasp on the Sorcerer's staff.

"It's called 'conduction of counter-magic'. Now get him out of there, quickly!"

The command left Spyro with no choice but to follow it; with his mind focusing on Sparx, he ran his way straight across to the other side of the room, with the Sorcerer leaving the dragonfly's side and making a brave run towards him, his hands raised in the air with a strange black mist surrounding them both.

The mist then made a change once again, this time transforming into light energy particles – those of a purple glowing energy. Quickly he launched them straight towards Spyro, whom ended up dodge rolling his way away from the light at the last minute.

"More lightning!" the dragon scowled as he saw the Sorcerer's attack fade into nothing. "What are you trying to do?"

"What do you expect? You tried to toast me before, and it's the least I can do to deflect your energy. And I see that you've lost your Shadowstone as well."

The remark on the Shadowstone suddenly caused his face to freeze. He heard it mentioned before, in the briefing that he had with the Professor just before he began his venture beyond the Dragon Village. And then, his face showed determination, but not of aggression – one to seek answers.

"What…" he struggled to gain his wording. "What happened to that Shadowstone?"

The Sorcerer remained silent, smirking as he held his hands into the air once more, both surrounding them with the black mist again. The light left Spyro to look on at them widely - to the point that his opponent's reactions would show that he would never receive an answer.

And then, the mist turned to lightning bolts once again. They then tried to strike down towards the dragon, who quickly managed to dodge roll and run out of the way… with the exception of one of the bolts, once again allowing for a trace of smoke to omit from his tail.

"Quick! Get out of the way!"

The shout caused the dragon to stop at his feet. And there, he saw Ango looking increasingly charged with energy – the black and white energy bolts surrounded his body like before, but this time his entire flesh was seen flashing as if he was a living light-bulb powering up in place.

The tip of the staff was seen taking in a heavy amount of light energy, and as soon as it was finished, it sent a bright energy beam straight towards Spyro! In a quick reaction, he ducked underneath it, allowing the beam to strike whatever targets were directly behind him.

"What are you doing to me?" a shout occurred from behind. "What the…!"

The shout caused him to look straight behind him, and there he saw the Sorcerer struggling against the light, getting completely engulfed save for his shadow, clearly being seen on the floor as an indicator of the amount of pain that engulfed his entire body.

His screams continued as loudly as possible, but soon, the sound of the cackles from the beam then started to become louder. As far as Spyro knew, it was as if he was living inside the dust bag of a vacuum cleaner – a droning noise that could almost penetrate his hearing.

And finally, a flash of light went around the area, and the sounds stopped. It then faded out slowly and gently, and as soon as the light was restored to normality… he looked around and saw the first thing he could see – Ango, standing there with the staff in his hand, almost frozen in time. The light energy no longer surrounded him, and his eyes were restored back to their original status.

The dragon then looked directly behind him, and there he saw the Sorcerer, though not in a form that he would usually expect; instead, he saw him as a pile of ashes inside his own cloak. Though he would typically rejoice for defeating his opponent, one thought remained firmly on his mind as he turned around.

"Sparx!" his eyes widened as he focused towards the dragonfly. "Are you okay?"

He made a run straight towards Sparx, concerned if the damage struck him significantly. And as soon as he got in front of him, he finally stirred, opening his eyes; there he saw through his hazy expression that he might have been affected by the Sorcerer's tractor beam somehow.

"My… my eyes…" he winced with a faint whisper. "I see pink and white…"

Without expression, Spyro raised one of his front paws in the air, extending two claws from it. "How many claws am I holding up?"

"Uh… 23?"

The remark left Spyro to shake his head, with a slightly annoyed glare showing in his eyes. But soon, another thought got taken into consideration; he looked on at the dragonfly's weakening eyes, and soon, his look of irritation from the asked question soon changed into one of concern.

Maybe Sparx's sight might have been badly hit by the Sorcerer either way, he thought to himself. Maybe he really WAS seeing some strange hallucination of pink and white from the tractor beam energy. Though the thought felt disturbing, he somehow knew that whatever the Sorcerer could pull off in his magic could feel disturbing regardless of what he does.

"At least our work is done", said Ango with a calm and thoughtful tone. "We might have taken a wrong turn to the Temple, but the Sorcerer has been brought down to size. Let's leave."

Smiling brashly, Ango made his way straight towards the exit, glad to know that he manage to survive the brave ordeal that was inside. A brief skip in his step was shown upon him, knowing that he was able to assist in the means of trying to combat the Sorcerer.

He then reached the door that opened its way straight back through the corridor of light; his eyes reflected there valiantly, knowing that he was ready to make his way back into the wide open world once again. After that, he turned back towards the dragon, whom – among with Sparx – didn't move with him.

"Spyro, come on!" the kid impatiently called out to him.

Ango cautiously made a step towards Spyro, himself making his way to the tile with the solar eclipse on it - right where the Sorcerer first stood. Curious over his delay in his departure, the kid took several lengthy strides towards him, his face almost sharing that feeling of concern that the dragon had.

"There's something about this Sorcerer guy that seems to know more about the situation than me."

"What?" Ango looked back at the dragon curiously.

Sighing with an almost melancholic glance, Spyro made his turn back towards Ango, his facial expression looking slightly insecure. He thought carefully, back towards the final moments of the fight with the Sorcerer, where he mentioned something about… a sacred relic that he could have previously worn.

"What was so special about this 'Shadowstone' that he mentioned I wore?" Spyro proceeded to ask the kid. "I know the Professor knew something about it, but do _you_ recall it at all?"

"Shadow… stone?"

Puzzled, Ango placed one of his hands on his chin. And just like that, the answer soon managed to click to him, his eyes widening at the sight of it. In that time, he ran up towards Spyro and looked straight towards the scene around him. Nearby, a tall slab of marble, holding a circle with two dragons – one breathing fire and another breathing ice – was seen.

"I think I know what you mean" he nodded trustingly. "It's been said that when you last went to fight the Sorcerer, you wore it to go between the Dragon Realms and the Shadow Realms, freeing everyone trapped inside the Shadow Realms and eventually going there again to fight him and prevent him from changing the world into a kingdom of darkness."

He then made his walk around the rest of the wall, and saw the rest of the story being told through the carvings alongside it. There, he also managed to see what looked like a small cave drawing, holding stick figures of Spyro and the Sorcerer making combat, with a torn purple flag being stuck right next to it – possibly the only splash of color among an otherwise white surrounding.

"With the Shadowstone, you were able to perform all sorts of magic and combat techniques that you weren't even capable of before", he concluded his explanation.

Spyro's jaw almost dropped at the sound of Ango's accuracy. "You were there?"

"Not physically. I heard the story from the village residents."

Ango was left to sigh on the spot as he turned back towards the dragon, his hair starting to actually drift through the otherwise current-less air. Cautiously he took a step back towards him, with his face still looking as if he just emerged from a break-up.

Not long after that, he re-focused his attention back towards the Sorcerer, whose position upon the ground was enough to make him show a sign of insecurity around him. There, he quickly turned back towards the others, his hands shaking with a mixture of nervousness and happiness.

"Regardless, our job here is done. Though we couldn't find the temple, we did a brave job just coming here and confronting him. Let's leave."

Briefly smiling, he took a hold upon Spyro's back and braced him as if he was a kid taming a goat in a petting zoo. The dragon responded with a confident smile back, knowing that in spite of taking a wrong turn on the way to the Dragon Temple, he fulfilled a big role for the Dragon Village.

Yet their respite was only short lived, as the sound of a rumbling sensation was heard from around the arena. Quickly they looked down to their feet, and they saw various shards of rock and glass jumping gently nearby, as if they were jacks jumping on their own accord.

"Wait a second", Spyro commanded as he looked up at the kid. "What was that?"

Not wanting to waste time, Ango quickly jumped and ran towards the door. "Quick, you claim Sparx and we'll make a run for it before this quake gets any worse."

And so, Ango started to make his departure back through the entrance they initially came from. And just as quickly as he started running, he completely left the sight of the dragon, whose attention could only focus on one particular being at that moment in time – that for Sparx.

Blinking awkwardly, he made his re-approach towards the dragon as he saw him approach the dragonfly. There he saw that he needed just as much assistance to get out as they need to help each other try and find a way back outside and to a safe place once again.

Sparx's expression still looked helpless; his concerns on seeing flashing pink and white colors were remained inside his helpless and nauseated facial expression. He looked equally confused as Spyro managed to show his head directly over the dragonfly's body.

"Is that you mom?" the dragonfly asked him, his eyes showing signs of confusion.

"Sparx, just hang on until we get out of here!"

Determined not to leave anyone behind, Spyro crouched down and brought Sparx upon his back, safely placed between two of the ridges at the bottom of his neck. All that the dragonfly could do was hold on, looking confused about the scenery shown around him.

And with that done, the dragon made his approach towards Ango, and thus they both made their way outside. They went past the long corridors that stretched from the opened door through to the giant arena, and soon re-approached the front door once more, ready to face the great outdoors once more.

Outside, a heavy mass of boulders was seen making their fall from outside, causing the entire scene to fall under a mass of earthquakes and intense heat. The very sight of them would leave for a tough-to-impossible chance of escape back towards the mainland.

* * *

It wasn't long until Spyro, Sparx and Ango managed to emerge out into the open to witness everything. But they didn't have long to see it, as several of which were soon starting to fly straight towards the gateway that lead inside the Sorcerer's foreboding lair.

In reaction, they quickly dashed away from the scene and found a more powerful vintage point, going up a stairway of light towards what looked like a look out venue. A ray of hope was seen when a distant bridge of light was formed arching its way towards the cliff, ready to be used as a lifting point. But a sign of unease crept upon them as they saw more burning boulders; most of them were seen rising stationary, yet some others were still seen being sent towards the trio on their own accord.

"The boulders!" Ango exclaimed at the sight of the mass of floating rocks.

"Why do I have a bad feeling that our way back will be harsher than the way here?" Spyro somehow questioned himself at the sight of them.

Before anything else could happen, one of which was close enough to instantly knock them off their feet. Quickly, they jumped down towards the bridge of light beneath, and they started to make their run down the path, towards the cliff side that they initially fell from.

Along the path, they also managed to come across the remains of the bridge of light that they were previously on – a long leap towards the rotating platform that stood as a halfway point between the two locations. The sight of the leap was enough to put shivers in the kid's step.

"How are we supposed to get back now that the bridge is out?" Spyro questioned his accomplices, thinking of the bridge's situation while on the way to the lair.

"I say we make a leap for it!" Ango grinned in response. "Come on!"

Starting to pace ahead, the kid started to make as much of a sprint towards the edge of the broken bridge. As soon as he got there, he leapt forward, taking a colossal stride in his step, flying almost perfectly horizontally through the air like a gliding squirrel on a food hunt.

Spyro soon followed, taking a similar leap, though this time he managed to outstretch his wings and used them for air resistance as he got further and further away from the ruins of the bridge. And then, his shadow came across the rotating platform, ensuring that he did everything possible to get there in time.

He then landed firmly on both feet, leaving him to stand in place and reclaim his breath from the jump. But before he could have a moment of total respite, several familiar shadows came above him – all of which being burning boulders launched directly from the gaseous space underneath.

"They're coming thick and fast!" the kid began to panic with his head pointing towards the dragon. "Quick! Let's move for it!"

"I'm on it!"

Ready to defy death once again, Spyro made his leap towards the next bridge of light, charging as fast as he could without any set of cares as he continued to approach the burning boulders. Each of them was reflected in his eyes like burning lights from out of nowhere.

Two of which made his way directly towards his head, and he allowed for them to keep coming towards him until right at the last minute. As he did so, he rolled out of the way, being careful not to let Sparx fall as well as falling down from the bridge himself.

"Hold on, Sparx!" commanded Spyro as he brought himself on both feet.

Another larger rock was seen ahead, and yet, its broader structures looked as if they were enough to crush the entire bridge of light. He looked behind him, and saw Ango slowly catching up towards him, his feet allowing him to run at a blistering speed among it.

In response, he brought his horns straight forward as he came closer towards it. And just as when it would look as if he would get hit, he slid under it in the last minute, leaving Ango to respond to it by doing a high jump before landing and making a quick recovery into his natural running speed again.

"The path is almost clear!" the dragon beamed as he saw himself coming closer towards the ramp. "I think I should be ready to make the jump!"

"What if you can't?" panicked Ango. "You could just fall to your doom!"

"I'm not going to have that happen to me! I've faced worse jumps before!"

Maintaining his determined glare, he focused his attention straight towards the beam of light ahead. And then it wasn't long until the path became steeper and steeper, as they made their way straight towards the beginning of a long jump back to the mainland.

"If worst comes to worst, my wings will help", he calmly remarked back at the kid. "I AM a dragon after all!"

"I thought you can barely fly!" he remarked with confusion.

"My methods will work! Believe in me!"

Spyro's look of confidence was enough for Ango to look on at him, half assuring, yet half concerned. He looked as if he was confident enough to make a long jump as colossal as what was shown ahead, no matter what kind of sacrifice would be bestowed from it.

And so, he ran faster and faster among the bridge of light, allowing his footprints to show densely upon the ground as he ran further and further. Then he started to make his way up the steeper parts of the ramp, ready to pull himself up as he made his way towards the long jump itself.

"Spyro, look out!"

Ango's shout was enough for Spyro to make him pay attention towards his left. There, several rocks were sent flying towards his direction, attempting to disturb his take-off. Quickly, he ducked his way under many of which, making sure to slow down at some of the faster ones before recovering lost speed.

A few more managed to slip past him, and it was by that that he knew that he was confident enough to survive the jump and make his way straight back onto safe land once again. His tail twitched happily as he got closer and closer towards the edge - towards the cliff that the mountains resided at.

His wings flapped anxiously as he was ready to make the jump, knowing that he would be ready to make his way to settle back onto solid ground once more. But before he could even reach the top… a burning sensation went upon his head, along with a giant clash that caused his head to be sent straight forward – like a steel nail being rammed into a wall with a hammer.

"Spyro!" Sparx panicked as he saw the dragon's reaction. "What…"

Before Sparx could finish off his wording, the dragon instantly fell onto his side with a light thump, instantly trapping Sparx from the stomach down as he fell and leaving his body to clash hard with the floor. A feeling of unease soon settled upon the dragonfly's facial expression as it happened.

"Ow! My chest! What was that for?"

Sparx was left to wince with pain, holding onto the right hand side of his chest with his left arm as he was left trapped between the light bridge and Spyro's back. But before he could react any further than what he could already… he soon felt a strange slipping sensation.

Like water in a log flume, they both ended up slipping their way down the ramp together; Ango soon noticed their actions, leapt over the pair as they came and slid his way down with them. As soon as they got down there, they looked towards the ramp, and then at Spyro, and came to a conclusion that shared their minds – an _out-cold _dragonwould not suffice.

"This is bad news, Sparx", Ango sighed, lowering his head and ears at the same time. "That just lost our chance at the jump…"

"Tell me about it", Sparx frowned. "I wish I can help, but I'm still seeing… pink."

The color remark left Ango to cautiously blink towards Sparx, who ended up responding with a brief twitch of the mouth. Exactly how can a tractor beam from the Sorcerer give him strange impaired color detection? The thought remained in his mind as they both ended up looking up to the ramp, trying to conduct any more ideas to return to safety.

But before they could even come up with a single idea, the sound of a rumble was heard in the distance. Quickly they all turned towards its direction, and saw the bridge of light crumbling, once again falling piece by piece as if it was made out of Tetris blocks.

"The bridge is breaking apart!" Sparx exclaimed at the sight of the evaporating light. "Spyro, listen to me! We need you to get up and do something about it!"

Hesitantly, Sparx pulled himself out from under Spyro's head and went towards the side of his face. He took a tight hold upon his cheek and tried to shake him on the spot, yet with every shake he tried to pull off, he started to look more and more nervous just by doing that.

"Come on!" the dragonfly somehow started to wince. "Don't die on us…!"

"He doesn't look dead", Ango confirmed just by taking a hold of one of his front paws. "Think about it; the situation could be worse."

Ango's comment wasn't enough to change Sparx's nervous facial expression by any means at all. In spite of the kid's meaningful response, they knew that they will have problems just trying to leave the area alive, regardless of Spyro's situation or the possibility of leaving him behind.

However, the dragonfly refused to give up. In spite of being significantly smaller than the dragon, he continued to push from every side of him that he could possibly deal with, trying to nudge him back into consciousness. The pressure of the sight of the bridge falling from behind was enough to make him pull off the task with more haste than the usual.

"We have to keep trying!" Sparx clarified his reasoning towards the kid while in mid-nudge. "The bridge is falling, and we won't stand a chance to cross otherwise!"

Ango looked directly up towards the ramp end of the light bridge. And there he saw the cliff that he, Spyro and Sparx fell from in order to get there. Without a means of flight, it can be assumed that there would be no escape from the crumbling light bridge.

"Spyro, get up! Now!!"

Before anything else can happen, the sound of a high-pitched roar was heard. The sound of it caused the group to look straight towards its direction, and right there, they fixed their eyes upon a flying shadow up ahead. It looked almost similar to Spyro's shadow, yet it had significantly smaller horns and a rounder nose area.

"Whoa!" Sparx gasped right at the sight of the figure. "Another dragon?"

Ango gave out a hesitant nod. "It looks different from those at the village…!"

Ango's certain look was confirmed as it showed itself coming closer. Its posture had significantly sharper ridges on the wings and head, making it look slightly more intimidating than the standard dragon seen back at the village if the meeting with Ember and Flame was anything to go by.

And then it came closer and closer towards it, barrel rolling towards the ground as gracefully as possible. A clear color scheme was also made out upon the creature – a dominant black color complete with a crimson belly and wing membranes. Though it looked intimidating, the sight of it left Sparx to look on more hopefully than he usually would in such circumstances.

"What is this thing?" Ango asked the dragonfly with a higher pitch than the usual.

"It looks very familiar…"

Before Sparx could try and analyse the creature further… it came straight towards the trio, instantly taking a clutch around Spyro's chest as it soared its way along. With quick instincts, Sparx and Ango held onto opposite sides of his body as they too were carried up.

Quickly, the kid made his climb towards the creature's back, trying his best not to disturb its flight as it did that. Yet Sparx ended up making a climb to a different part of the creature's body – right at the top of its head, using its horns to try and support himself in his ascent.

The view that he faced from atop of his head looked painful yet beautiful – soaring among the purple abyss before going through the mountain slopes once more, yet considering that the dragon flew higher than the claustrophobic passageways that himself, Spyro and Ango took to get there, he felt slightly more comfortable with the ride itself.

Finally he brought his head over hers to try and identify her eyes. And there he met them straight with the creature in question – a pair of deep emerald eyes that shone like a rare and valuable treasure. Even though he only saw pink, his pupils instantly shrank at the structure of them.

Several memories then flashed through his mind with an encounter with a black dragon he faced before – an adult one that served under the Dark Master, before being restored to its initial youth size after a dynamic showdown. And just like that, his mind finally clicked into place.

"Cynder!!"

_-end of chapter-_


	5. The Takeover

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Another chapter has gone by, and so I thank everyone who came to see it. With that in mind it's time we went onto the next chapter.

I want to have people on the edge of their seats, hence all my reasoning for the events of chapter 4. There were some people outside that stated to me that they hate cliff-hangers, but I've played enough sequential videogames to accept them as some kind of plot device. I feel it's something that will work well when it comes to fiction writing.

Though, if you're one of those that hated cliff-hangers, you might hate this next chapter as well. O.O Luckily enough, Cynder will get some light shed on her in this chapter, so if you're a fan of said black dragon, this could help turn things around. I hope you're ready to see into her time into exploring the area around the Dragon Village while Spyro is left to recover from his fall.

Thanks again for your time! And for the record, I never thought I'd see some interesting M rated material here. Odds are I'd comment on a few in the next two days or so, so we'll see.

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

And so, the Sorcerer was defeated; though his lair remained standing as if nothing ever happened, the damage inside was worth taking note of. As far as Spyro, Sparx and Ango knew, their wrong turn on the way to the Dragon Temple might have linked to a trace of goodwill. 

But in spite of this, the Dragon Village felt no different at all. The civilians were still going through their regular lives in an unchanged environment, and red weeds still covered various aspects of the fields that surrounded it - still poisoning the landscapes around them.

Amongst all this, the Professor continued to spend his time indoors, watching over the village from the window of his laboratory. His watch over the scenery was briefly undisturbed - right until he felt a sudden shadowed presence starting to creep over his body like a long, thick mackintosh.

"Uncle, come quick!"

The shout was enough to catch his attention. And there, he turned around and met his eyes with Blink, holding onto what looked like a small coat in his right arm. Quickly he placed it onto the ground and stepped closer towards his uncle, his face almost colored peach with building fear.

"Uncle", Blink spoke to him almost fearfully. "You're not going to believe this, but there's a black dragon floating in the sky, and it's coming towards the village!"

"What?" jaw-dropped the Professor. "Is this another one of the Sorcerer's tricks?"

"I think it is. But has there been any word of a black dragon that lived here before?"

"Not from what I heard from the residents. It might have been a manufactured creation if that's the case."

Before they could continue speaking, a distant roar was heard from above. The sound was enough for them to pay close attention towards the window, their eyes almost shrinking in their place as they drew more curiosity upon the source of the sound itself.

And then, the source showed up right in front of them – a zooming shadow that went right across the sky. Not much detail was made out aside from its wings and body color, but the appearance looked convincing towards the pair as their faces suddenly started to turn paler than the usual.

"You ARE right!" gasped the Professor. "What are we supposed to do about this?"

Blink shakily reacted by clutching his hands together and tapping their fingertips tensely. "We can't contact Spyro since he already went out of the village, and I'm assuming he's got the pirate kid too."

"But what can we do for the time being?" his uncle questioned hastily. "And what kind of defences can we pull off otherwise?"

The Professor's question led Blink to respond back with silence. Thinking hard about the situation, he knew that the sight of a strange kind of dragon could only mean that there would be grave concern over what it would do. Then again, he thought carefully about the past record of dragons that came around the area before. If his facial expression was of any indication, he felt that there has never been a presence of a black dragon in the past.

Quickly he brought his goggles down towards his eyes and used them to zoom in towards the incoming creature. There, he saw a blur of it, carrying something purple in its arms and having a brown-and-red animal on its back and a yellow light on its head. Even though he didn't see the details, he knew straight away about what it meant.

There was only one thing to do, he thought to himself. Quickly, he made his run straight out of the Professor's lab, outside into the village, through the western exit and through the fields to the north-west of it. Only through there would he be able to find someone or something to help investigate the situation.

* * *

Back at the village, the black dragon was seen getting closer and closer to the ground as it went around the village's perimeter. And then it wasn't long until it finally managed to settle its way down towards a nearby alley, preparing to land with its back claws outstretched. 

It – or should it be said, she – made a firm landing. As soon as Cynder was accustomed to her surroundings, she instantly placed Spyro upon the ground and waited for Sparx and Ango to dismount. Yet, the sight of a female shadow coming towards the alley somehow made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"What kind of creature are you, trying to attack the village?" the shadow screamed straight towards her.

Cynder's heart sank. "I'm not trying to do anything!"

At the sound of the shadow, the black dragon instantly turned around, giving off a series of curious blinks towards the sound of the voice. And right there, after a spotlight was suddenly turned on above the silhouette, she managed to see the full identity of the creature ahead.

There stood Bianca, looking ahead with curiosity, her eyes first fixed upon the black dragon, then towards Sparx and Ango being there with her. And finally her eyes were placed upon Spyro, though instead of showing a smile at his "homecoming", her eyes actually widened, concerned for any damage he might have taken.

"Is that…" she paused before she could even come close to finishing her sentence.

"Yes", confirmed the black dragon. "Spyro was out cold by the time I got to him."

Sighing, Cynder brought her attention straight towards Spyro, looking at his position from the ground. The hit on the head from the burning boulder felt like enough to knock him out for what would seem like a fair amount of time, she hesitantly thought to herself.

"I can sense it in you", the rabbit blinked directly at her. "You must know him to some degree."

Cynder looked back at the rabbit and responded with a soft nod. "We're both from the same brood of dragon eggs, so yes, I know Spyro so well."

"That's strange", Bianca responded, puzzled. "He never talked about you before, so what connection did you have with him?"

"Are you saying that Spyro is hiding something?"

Cynder's question suddenly caused Bianca's ears to prick up on end. From her point of view, the sight of this strange dragon that somehow knew Spyro's existence was enough for her to show deep concern for what kind of misadventures that the purple dragon might have had during his absence.

Yet from Cynder's point of view, she wouldn't understand how and why he could associate with a rabbit either. Showing a building amount of confusion, she ended up lowering her head towards her claws, with Bianca soon doing the same with her own two feet.

"I don't understand what's going on", the black dragon frowned.

"I can sense the feelings of you two, and somehow you both are telling the truth", blinked Ango as he placed a hand on his chin. "From the rabbit's point of view, he never knew anyone called Cynder. But from the black dragon, he never knew about Bianca either."

Both girls looked towards the kid, realising that in the midst of all this, Ango might have raised a point. The least that they could do is figure out exactly how much of a connection Spyro had with the village in the past in Cynder's case, and how he could have associated with a black dragon in the same brood that he initially came from in the scenario for Bianca.

Cynder's face showed an increasing amount of confusion over time, as she was soon left to lower her head straight down to the dusty ground beneath her. During that time, Sparx hovered his way down towards her, carefully placing a hand of his upon the horns on her left hand side of her face.

"What kind of answers are we supposed to get from this?" she asked the dragonfly in a whisper.

"I don't know, but the least we can do is find a safe place to keep Spyro in for now", Sparx responded while looking down at the purple dragon. "It seems as if it'll be a while before he recovers."

"But where can we go?"

The black dragon looked on at the white rabbit, hoping that she could at least get an answer from her in return. Yet, before she could even open her mouth to bring her request forward… nothing came out. Blushing gently, she looked back towards the scene behind her.

Sparx and Ango both looked on at her with equally concerned glares, locking their grasp with one another as they stood over Spyro and looked straight towards her deep emerald green eyes. Their looks were enough to know that she had to follow their request regardless of how the rabbit would take it.

Knowing the situation at hand, she took a step towards Bianca, ready to speak towards her once again, ready to plead for help from her. But before she could even do that, a shadow passed its way straight above their heads, causing them to look straight up; nothing but a cloudless sky on first sight.

"Over here!"

The male shout echoed throughout the area, causing them to struggle to locate the exact location of the bearer. And then, there came the shadow once again, making his arrival straight towards the group, bearing what looked like a large pair of wings and an equally lengthy set of limbs.

Before she could try and identify him, he made his way straight towards the ground, taking a hold of Spyro's body before lifting himself up in the air once more. But what he didn't realise were Cynder and Ango hanging beneath him from below, with Sparx holding onto the creature's horns, colored purple in the dim daylight.

And then, the three settled onto the lizard's back; by then, he now realised their presence and looked upon them with a glance of acceptance. He looked almost just like a dragon, Cynder thought, but he seemed to be bipedal; his horns also curved as if they were buffalo horns, and his jaw ended up looking more frog-like in physique in comparison to the dragons that she faced in the past.

She then looked down at the village below, thinking about the entire situation. Did this large and strange creature mean any harm? Or is he willing to help Spyro by any means? Whatever the answer was, the only thing that remained on her mind was to not lose her sight from him – never at all.

* * *

Finally, a large building was brought into view; upon first glance, it looked significantly different than the structures back at the village. Unlike them, this one sported a traditional Oriental look to it, covered in a canvas of red, brown and yellow around it with glowing lanterns hanging from its entrance. 

And then, the red lizard creature came down towards it and allowed his riders to dismount. Cynder took a gasp of wonder as she looked up at the building – a peaceful place that could match with the Dragon Temple, yet its appearance and change in culture in comparison to her home showed that it could adapt to purposes other than the idea of relaxation.

And then, she made her walk inside, with Sparx and Ango following her. There, she was introduced to a calm room complete with what looked like meditation rugs aligned almost perfectly among the floor. Cautiously, she walked towards the red lizard as she saw him carefully place Spyro among one of the more distant ones.

"Sit down, young lady", the red lizard ushered her. "I'll get to you in a few moments."

Understanding his intensions, she walked her way towards the other side of the room and sat down amongst one of the meditation mats, looking curiously towards Sparx and Ango as she did so. The ornate banners and warm colors around her were enough for her to look at the scenery with wonder.

"What kind of place is this?" she looked up at the scene with wonder.

"This must be the Dragon Dojo that the villagers have been referring to", the kid responded towards her calmly. "Given the atmosphere, this must be a perfect location for Spyro's recovery."

Ango's face broke into a smile as he observed his surroundings. The banners, colors and lighting could be enough to secure his calmness there, yet his face started to become more puzzled as he saw that aside from Spyro, he noted only three creatures in the entire area – the helpful red lizard, as well as seeing Blink conversing with a cheetah holding archery equipment in a nearby corner. The mole himself was obviously seen gasping for breath, as if he ran his way from a distant location.

"Not counting Spyro, I can only sense one dragon in the entire Dojo", he confirmed the creatures. "Why?"

"It's only because the other guardians of the Dojo have been out on fieldwork, looking for further clues on the changed landscapes outside", the red lizard frowned. "That's the job for them."

"So why aren't you out there?"

"I've only just been re-instated as a Dragon Elder, so I have to wait a bit before I have the privilege to use my power on the field." He then turned away to a blank wall and growled under his breath, whispering quietly. "I just wish the others would think otherwise for just one second…"

His face soon brought itself into a bitter growl, leaving him to make his way towards an opposing corner of the room. Standing there stood a shining staff, with the head of a hydra plated in an antique gold covering the purple crystal that stood right at the top of it.

He then marched his way towards it, and once he got there he picked it up like a sword of potent valor. Maintaining a tight grasp upon it, he walked his way straight towards Cynder, preserving a stern expression as he got closer towards the black dragon.

"If you want a name out of me, it's Red."

"Hi Red", Cynder beamed at the red lizard cheerfully. "You look different than most dragons I've seen."

"What? Haven't you seen a Dragon Elder before?"

"I've never seen a dragon that can stand naturally on two legs", she responded with an eye twitch.

"Have you been out in the cold for so long?"

At that point, Red started to show a light amount of frustration. He turned his way towards the further interiors of the room, where he saw pictures framed of all sorts of dragons, each of them being bipedal just like him, as well as defining a different array of colors and bulks around them.

But those forms didn't seem to be too convincing for Cynder, whom was left to look straight on at Red with a confused glance. Prior to meeting Red, the only elder dragons she somehow knew were the Guardians back home, and to her knowledge, none of them were able to walk on two legs like that.

"Never mind", Red sighed bitterly. "Anyway, I heard from Blink that you came into the village carrying Spyro like this. Just what in the name of Ripto happened to him?"

"He got hit on the head with a burning rock, Red", Ango replied shakily.

"That's strange", pondered the Elder. "I thought Sparx was meant to protect him from such injuries. Now that I think of it, why's he still standing? Is this act of guarding his own dragonfly something he learnt during his absence?"

"I'll see if I can discuss this with you", the black dragon responded calmly. "Come."

With a determined face, Cynder started to try and lure Red outside, but before she could even do that, a finger snap was heard from him. She turned back and saw from his eyes that there was potentially a better place to have a discussion – a quiet study area behind a giant folding screen right at the other side of the room.

They both made their way towards the screen, and there, Red opened it like a curtain and brought the black dragon inside with him. They both made their way inside; Sparx almost made his way in, yet the screen instantly slammed itself shut in front of him before he could even get through.

"Aren't I supposed to share my point of view as well?" scowled the dragonfly as he hovered away from the door.

"Sparx, what happened to your voice?" the cheetah suddenly called out to him in a cheerful brotherly tone. "You sound like my pops when he was younger for some strange reason."

"What?" Sparx reacted with one of his pupils shrinking. "You think I sound mature enough to be your father, spotty? And here you are going around with no clothes on as well. Aren't you going to get penalised for exhibitionism here?"

Sparx's remark caused a gasp to form upon the cheetah's face. And then, the feeling of shock suddenly started to turn to one of raw anger. The dragonfly's expression ended up showing one that held deep concern, worried over exactly what kind of remark he made to anger the feline.

And then, he brought out an arrow from behind his back, placed it inside his bow and aimed it straight towards Sparx. It fired, but before it could hit the dragonfly, he forward flipped his way, allowing the bow to end up getting stuck right inside the wall.

"Hunter!" Blink called out to him in what sounded like half a squeak. "Calm down!"

The cheetah didn't listen; instead, he threw the bow onto the floor and made a charge straight towards Sparx, his fists clutching more viciously over time. The dragonfly ended up looking back with a sheepish glance, now knowing that he might have got on his bad side by mistake.

And in a moment of haste, Hunter instantly took a hold upon Sparx by the body and clutched tightly upon his chest, trying his best to turn him blue with air deprivation. But the dragonfly held on, raised a fist in the air and poked the cheetah in the eye, causing him to let go and allow for the chase to begin all over again.

The routine continued, complete with the sound of falling pot plants and slipping meditation mats. Seeing the chaos ensue between the pair, Blink knew that he needed to make his mark in the fight. Seeming as if neither of them was willing to finish it, he marched forward, ready to make his move.

* * *

As that moment occurred, the aura that resided beyond the mountain range started to settle down. The lilac abyss that once held the Sorcerer started to calm down in terms of the intensity of burning rocks that were launched from nowhere straight towards the air above. 

Even the Sorcerer's lair remained to be perfectly still and presumably at peace now that all that remained of him was nothing more than a pile of ashes that ended up gracing the ground, being left to be undisturbed in the current-less air that resided in the large room where the brave battle took place.

But among the room's surroundings, a shadow ended up standing over the ashes. It showed itself to have extended fingers alongside with a fierce composure. A long cloak somehow trailed around it, shifting gently with every step that its possessor took.

Somehow, the figure looked completely identical to the Sorcerer, right down from the face details all the way down towards the staff that was wielded in his possession. He looked down towards the ashes below, snickering as he sported a cackle of purple energy between his fingertips.

And then, he launched the energy towards the ashes, making them instantly vanish into nothing but dust fading into the stale air around it. By that, the move was fully confirmed – Spyro didn't fight the Sorcerer at all; rather, he fought face to face with what was apparently a doppelganger.

* * *

Back at the dojo, the conflict between Sparx and Hunter had ceased. It reached the point that both ended up at opposite corners of the meditation room, tied to lanterns with secured rope, fixed with strong double knots. All that Blink would do is sneer with a confident smile. 

Ango, however, saw the results of the fight to be the last on his mind. He, however, was at the door leading to Red's study, his ear pressed towards the door, hoping to hear every part of the conversation between him and Cynder. With each passing word that came, his eyes continued to show wonder amongst the discussion.

Red's study itself was littered with all sorts of monuments and paperweights among the shelves, along with a small desk and several unused scrolls placed upon it right at the darkest side of the room. Cynder's explanation on her side of the story left him to show a slightly more intrigued look as time passed.

"So let me get things straight, Cindy."

"That's _Cynder_, sir!"

"Right", Red slightly perspired at his mistake. "You're saying that you knew Spyro, and you both are currently living in a distant land."

"I'm speaking the truth", Cynder nodded with honesty. "I don't know how much of a connection Spyro has with this strange village, but the matter remains is that he's miles away from the Dragon Temple, and I need to take him back."

Her expression continued to show more pessimism, knowing that she was about to explain something critical towards Red. Biting onto the inside of her lips as tight as she could, she sat down and spoke of one harmful yet powerful memory that retained on her mind.

"He lost his power in a great struggle not too long ago", she worriedly recapped the fight at Convexity. "Even before he came here, he needed more time to recover."

"Was it from a fight from the Sorcerer?"

Cynder responded to Red's question with a wide shake of the head. "I know that there was a 'Dark Master' involved, but I can't remember any sorcerers."

Feeling upset that she managed to describe the incident again, she crouched down and lowered her head to the ground. The sight of her left Red to crouch straight down to her level, and in a relaxed state of mind, he brought out one of his hands to stroke her back to calmness once more.

From outside, Ango's facial expression showed one of wonder, knowing that he managed to hear more of Cynder's back-story. In spite of hearing that, he kept on pressing his ear against the door, curious to be able to hear more of the closed conversation.

"Everyone's side of the story around here sounds confusing", she winced almost discreetly. "I want to find out more if I can."

It wasn't long until Cynder's upset expression soon started to show one that held more determination. As majestic as a phoenix, she stood up and looked straight at him, then back towards the doors that she previously came from, and back at the Dragon Elder once more.

"I know we've only just met, but Red, I am entrusting you to look after Spyro while I make my way towards the nearby fields, looking for answers as well as any trace of the Dragon Temple."

"But if you just came here on your own accord, surely you must know your way back, right?" the Elder questioned her puzzlingly.

"I'm not sure. I felt as if I appeared out of nowhere like a rabbit in a wizard's hat. Thus, I need to re-trace my entrance point if we need to stand a chance at getting there. We're going to kill two birds with one stone – we'll save the village and come closer to the Dark Master at the same time."

"As you wish, but watch out for the Sorcerer's goons", the Elder cautiously remarked back to her.

Looking up towards the ceiling, Red showed a thoughtful expression, concerned that everything that the Sorcerer did to the realm could be seen as a dangerous threat to any kind of creature that traverses it, whether they are veterans or new recruits. But in spite of that look, Cynder's confident glance didn't change much at all.

"Well, they'd better watch out for me. I doubt anyone in this area has encountered a black dragon before – not even that aforementioned 'sorcerer'."

Looking on at the scene ahead almost bitterly, she made her walk straight out of the study and back into the main room. Her eyes were fixed on one target of all things – the exit, where once she would step out in the open, she would begin a clear exploration in finding answers to Spyro's connection with the village.

As soon as she made one step outside, she took a look back. Though the purple dragon's recovering body was nothing more than a spec in her eyes, the sight of him was enough for her to show a worried glare to the floor, concerned that she may end up coming back with nothing.

"Cynder, do you want us to tag along?"

The black dragon quickly stopped walking at the sound of the shout. "Sparx?"

Quickly she turned to her right, and there stood both Sparx and Ango, the latter holding the ropes that the dragonfly were tied with before. Twitching an eye, he ended up rolling them neatly and placed them right next to the top step, ready for use by any other visitor to the dojo.

"Trust the dragonfly on this one", nodded Ango. "We have been able to aid Spyro while he made his way to the Sorcerer in the first place. And I'm sure we can be of an aid to you wherever you go."

Cynder's glance remained fixed on the pair. Both of them seemed so hopeful, and as far as she knew, she would easily understand their expressions – far from being the most potent combatants in the field, but will be a great help to her when she needed them the most.

Then she focused on Spyro, still recovering among the meditation rug that he was left upon. Though she felt disturbed to leave him behind, she knew that she had to do her duty; breathing in as bravely as possible, she took a step out of the door, ready to explore the world beyond her.

And just like that, the room was still once again, with only the sound of Blink's tapping feet being heard among the vast open room space. But… the tapping suddenly stopped when he suddenly noticed Spyro stirring in position – his claws were seen twitching slightly, before they soon crumpled into place as if he was actually clutching a fist.

* * *

In an almost déjà-vu type of moment, Cynder, Sparx and Ango returned to the village by foot, and as soon as they got there they went through its northern exit, to the field that lead towards the Sorcerer's lair. Except this time, they knew that they were hoping to shoot for a completely different location. 

The foreboding rocks and red weeds that littered the ground were still enough to add a sense of fear towards the minds of the creatures as they went further beyond them. This fear started to increase more significantly as they went straight towards the rock face ahead of them.

Unlike last time, the climb was problematic for Cynder, yet she was still keen enough to make her way towards the top of the summit all in one piece. Soon, she made her way to solid ground, walked past the junction that resulted in a pathway towards the Sorcerer's lair and started to explore the rest of the area.

That, however, resulted in finding another tall slope, though not as dramatically steep as the pathway that was used to get to the previous area. As soon as she reached the top, she slid down the other side, being careful to assist the others on the way towards her.

"Cynder, why didn't you just fly up here like you did before?" Sparx asked her in the same breathless voice tone he used to previously climb the slope. "It adds more strain on us, just heading up this mountain again!"

"I can only fly sharply for so long, Sparx", she frowned back to the dragonfly. "You can't expect me to just make my way from one side of the mountain to ground level and back in this state, especially after the Convexity incident."

The mention of the Convexity incident by name was almost enough for her to come to a complete stop in her path, before she ended up having to turn around and look back at the view of the village. It stood so powerfully amidst the darkened landscapes that surrounded it.

In spite of its boldness in standing, she somehow looked down at the floor, hating to bring up the past in front of anyone. Biting her lip, she crouched down, her eyes still focusing upon the village, wondering what the personnel down there could be doing there now.

"I suppose that's understandable", Sparx tried to sympathise with her.

"I can sense that you faced a rough past", Ango responded with a similar expression. "If you don't want to talk about it, then that's fine; your facial expression is all we need to know."

Calmly, Ango crouched down towards her level and stroked her gently, instantly gaining her attention several moments later. She turned towards him with a faint glance back, knowing that there was no use of trying to hide the past outside of spoken word.

Calmly, she brought herself back up onto her feet, bringing her focus towards the dimly lit sky. Though it looked too blurry to even see any sign of a bright celestial body, she looked on at her accomplices as if she was sitting directly under a full moon.

"I'd rather not dwell on the past", she spoke reminiscently. "If we have to make sure that Spyro and I get to the temple safely…"

"AHEM!"

"And Sparx too, I guess; if we have to make sure that we ALL get to the temple safely, the least that can be done is that I can help find a way."

Cynder's remarks were enough to show determination on her facial expression as she stood back up and walked further and further towards the depths of the mountain peaks. That determination was enough for both Sparx and Ango to keep going as well, regardless of any sight of any suffocating elevation.

A small passageway was passed, where they went past trees that stood black without any traces of leaves or fruit, along with boned rubble among the ground. Right at the end was another clearing, where something instantly shone directly into the dragon's eyes.

"Wait a second. What's that strange portal?"

Cynder pointed ahead with one of her paws, and as soon as that happened, Sparx and Ango caught up to her. There, they saw another arch with another set of swirling purple energy. The sight of it left Ango to approach it, in the knowledge of experiencing that kind of portal before.

"I sense another eerie presence behind this one", he blinked with a nose twitch. "Spyro refused to turn back after facing the portal from the last junction we faced. I'm assuming you won't be any different?"

"Of course not", the black dragon shook her head. "I came this far and I'm not going to give up, especially for Sparx's sake."

"Finally, a dragonfly gets acknowledged for climbing up the equivalent to a steep rock in Tall Plains. Thank you!"

Beaming with a sarcastic glare, Sparx extended his hand and brought its way towards the floor, taking a bow in front of Cynder and Ango. While she ended up looking back at him with a blank stare, the kid just paid no attention and took a step closer towards the gateway.

"I'll do as you wish. I'll see if I can approach this."

Sighing deeply, Ango took a step towards the door and opened his hands out wide, ready to embrace the energy of the portal as he got closer and closer towards it. A bright glow of lilac streamed down the front of his body, getting brighter with every passing step.

As soon as he got there, he carefully placed both of his hands through the light, and right where they were, a mystical field of white energy showed up. And right in front of them, the energy started to disperse away, giving way for a clear passageway right ahead of him.

But… according to Cynder's eyes, the path wasn't quite so clear. Several yellow dots lied beyond the door – too dim to be fireflies, and too bright to be flowers. They shifted to the left and right slowly and stealthily, leaving her to slightly lower her jaw at the sight of those actions.

"Step back!" she commanded to her peers valiantly.

Exchanging confused expressions, Sparx and Ango ended up following her order, taking a couple of paces back each, their eyes focusing on the bright glowing lights ahead of them. And then they showed themselves to be no longer a set of lights, but rather… multiple sets of eyes.

One by one they stepped through the remains of the gateway, now showing physical bodies to match with them. They all had a black shell that ended up covering their torsos, as well as wielding pincers that shone gently in the dim lighting. They were identified to be a batch of scorpions.

"What kind of creatures are these?" Sparx shivered at the sight of them.

"I don't know", Cynder started to wince. "But we're not going to find out by standing here!"

And so, she reacted by starting to make a charge towards the scorpions. Once there, she lashed her tail straight towards them, tripping three of which up at a time. Meanwhile, Sparx and Ango stood by the sidelines, witnessing her attempt to fight the creatures.

"Take that, all of you!"

And there, she opened her mouth wide and a wide gash of flames was erupted from it. They immediately covered the scorpions in their entirety, and as that happened, she assumed that they would instantly crumble to ash right on the very touch of the burning inferno.

Yet, as soon as she ceased her fire, she witnessed the damage done upon the monsters… if any at all. They were all shown to have barely taken much of a scratch of damage at all! The sight of them left her to instantly gasp at the sight of her burning rage, or lack thereof.

"They won't take on my attacks very well!" she panicked, hastily looking towards Sparx and Ango. "What's going on?"

"There's only one conclusion we can make of all this", replied Ango with his arms outstretched. "They must be monsters from the Shadow Realms!"

Cynder looked back towards the monsters once more. Surely the idea of them from a mysterious set of "Shadow Realms" made sense given their color scheme and foreboding appearance. But what is that place, she thought to herself. There was only one way to react at a time like this, she assumed.

"The… Shadow Realms?" Cynder blinked with curiosity. "What kind of place is that meant to be?"

Quickly, Sparx held onto her horns, hung upside down and made eye contact with her. "There's no time for questions, young lady. We need to escape!"

There, she gulped on the spot and looked towards the monsters once more. Several of which tried to surround her at once, yet the least she could do was trip up the nearest ones with her tail and try to escape from her grasp – not the most powerful attack that she could pull off, but it would still save her from being demon food.

"Come on! Let's go this way!" Sparx exclaimed as he released his grasp from Cynder and pointed towards a path beyond the checkpoint.

All together, they dashed through in a single file line, making sure to dodge the scorpions as they did so. All that graced them now was a narrow path with rocks standing on either side, almost giving them a worrying sense of claustrophobia as they went further and further ahead.

It wasn't meant to go without saying that the scorpions would give in though. Some of which were keen enough to give chase to them, using their pain-inducing pincers to attempt to slide through anything in particular. One of which even came close enough to attack Cynder whenever it pleased.

"They've almost got my tail!" she brashly shouted, knowing that she would soon face damage.

"Quick! Jump up here!"

In a quick reaction, Ango pointed straight towards a small ledge around a corner in particular. There, he jumped up some of the smaller rocks and hid inside the alcove embedded inside it, ensuring himself to be happy that he was away from the coming scorpions.

Cynder soon followed suit, though facing a struggle to just try and climb the mountainside. Eventually she got there, though she barely managed to keep her tail in a safe location, with one of the scorpions coming a split second away from actually severing the tip away from it.

Sparx then made his arrival, just effortlessly hovering up towards the pair without any need to tackle the wall other than to catch his breath. As soon as he got there, he fixed his eyes down at the monsters with Cynder and Ango, knowing that they would struggle to find a way out of the onslaught.

"Can they be defeated?" she blinked at the sight of their intimidating faces again. "And if so, what kind of attack is required?"

Ango's arms shook gently as he thought about her question. "All I can think of is an ancient combat, but I forgot its name!"

"Great, way to go on thinking hard about that, genius", growled Sparx as he took a hold of one of Ango's cheek furs and pulled it off harshly.

The creatures continued to try and jump up towards them, and they knew that as they got higher and higher up they wouldn't be able to last in the alcove for long. All that they could do was scout the area for a way out, far away from this narrow passageway.

And then, something managed to catch Cynder's eye – the end of the pathway, shown directly to her left. Though it looked like a dead end, something ended up shining near the bottom like a radiant set of sunlight. And there, she knew that she had found her next target.

"I found a gap! Let's try getting through there before they get us!"

Doing her best when it came to dodging the creatures, she made a quick jump straight down towards the ground. And then she ran her way towards it, with the scorpions giving chase, allowing for Sparx and Ango to get down towards the ground on their own accord.

Soon, Cynder ended up making her way right in front of the wall. And as soon as she got there, she made her leap towards the gap, squeezing through it as elegantly as a snake. All that the scorpions could do were various pokes with their pincers through the gap as if they were trying to dig her out.

"There they go!" Sparx wittingly smiled from afar. "They can't pinch her even if their elbows were replaced with springs!"

Snickering, Sparx looked back towards Ango, knowing that they were ready to make their move. And almost foolishly, they both made their run directly towards the hole… and the giant ambush of scorpions. While the dragonfly ended up taking a hold of Ango's ear with one hand and covering his eyes with another, the kid was left to run a lot more ambitiously with each stride he took.

"Yeowch!" he yelped as he felt one of the beasts try to pinch him from below. "Get away from the tail section!"

Bravely, Ango ended up storming his way past the scorpions, though his run ended up leaving him wincing at the trace of any damage that his arms managed to sustain as he did so. In spite of that, he looked on and knew that he had to get through that hole – a way through to safety and their next part of the journey.

And then he finally got there, rolling his way straight through the hole. As soon as he got through, he crouched down, with Sparx letting go of his ear in the process. They watched over the hole, where eventually they saw the scorpions retreat back the way they came – where their original hiding place was, they didn't know.

"That was a close one", Sparx sighed with relief. "I say we get back to the village before we face another ambush!"

"No", the black dragon coldly looked back. "This closed area could mean something to us. Something in the air doesn't feel right, and it's not the presence of the Dark Master."

Cynder's remark led room for concern on both Sparx's and Ango's face. True to their word, the faint lilac mist gave way for a stale and unsettling mood around them. The sight of a windless current and a large crumbling statue of an undefined shape also added more to the strange atmosphere of their present location.

Disturbingly, she brought her snout into the air and took in a faint sniff. And after that sniff, her face started to become increasingly more unsettled by the feeling that lingered in the air – a darker feeling that went beyond the windless mist that swirled around them.

"I can sense it. It's the scent of blood."

Her remark caused her accomplices to look back worryingly. Why would a place like this feel like a graveyard? And even if it is, exactly what kind of creature would come up there, get past the obstacles they braved during their arrival and leave behind the deceased anyway?

With the thoughts remaining in their mind, the trio then split up and made their ways around different areas of the clearing. Sparx made his way behind the giant decaying statue, looking on at its structure as a potential rocky structure that somehow was left behind at some point or other, for reasons unknown.

Ango calmly made his way straight towards one of the walls. There, he noted the sighting of several deep dents in the ground, as if they showed signs of a figure that was actually present there. Before he could even trace a source, he saw that the dents grew fainter and fainter as it got further inward, leaving that opportunity as one that might not work much as evidence of its significance.

But Cynder ended up making her move towards a part of the clearing that formed a point of a triangle in comparison to Ango's and Sparx's positions. She too was left to see nothing that would serve as significance; yet, that was until the sound of a gasp was heard from Ango.

"I can't believe this", Ango quivered at the sight of a white stick-like object that he found in the ground. "What's this?"

The dragon rushed over, soon analysing its structures and coming to a hypothesis. "It looks like… a bone?"

Cynder looked straight down at the bone for itself. A closer observation showed through the width of it and a potential connection at the slimmer end showed that it looked like some kind of thigh bone. It wasn't completely picked clean though, as what looked like a small chunk of meat was shown on the other side of it.

"Is that purple flesh?" Sparx's teeth clattered on the identification as soon as he saw it for himself. "I wouldn't appreciate this creature very much if it had purple flesh."

"I wouldn't either, but it's not as if we have much of a choice on seeing it, dead or alive."

Shivering almost nervously, Cynder placed the other end of the bone into her mouth, carrying it as she continued to explore the area. In spite of her input, the bitter taste of meat and gravel faced her mouth as she made her way further and further around the perimeter.

Ango and Sparx similarly split up, looking around in different locations. While the former was lucky enough to come across several upturned rocks in the ground, the dragonfly ended up finding nothing while going around the center of the area. However… he soon came to a stop.

"Aaaaargh!" Sparx instantly reacted at something underneath him.

His reaction caused Cynder to rush her way towards him. "What is it?"

Sparx instantly pointed straight down, and right there, they witnessed a more complete set of bones underneath them. Some of which were covered by dirt, in which Cynder quickly crouched down and used her claws to dust away any loose debris on top.

And then, they saw the skeleton in full minus most of the bones on its back legs – each of them almost cleanly picked off for most of the way, give or take a few ribs and both front legs. The skull itself was especially picked away, with it having a crack and several parts broken away from its right. The sight of the flesh was almost enough for Sparx to end up turning white, as if he had ended up seeing a ghost.

"That…" Sparx almost cried on the spot. "That skull… what kind of monstrous creature wielded it?"

Almost looking as if he would faint at the sight of it, Sparx quickly took a grasp upon Cynder's back, trying his best to remain his composure in spite of seeing the bones. Yet, Ango's expression looked sterner as he approached the skeleton for himself, picking up the decaying skull and bringing it up to his level.

"Though this creature is dead, I can be able to sense the feelings left behind and identify it", he calmly spoke, lowering his head. "It seems as if it was killed by magic to some extent, then left to rot away and be fed to the insects beneath."

"Tell me", Cynder curiously asked him, dropping the leg bone to the ground. "Who is it?"

Ango turned towards Cynder, almost ready to make a response, but… he stopped before he could even do that. Looking into the dragon's curious eyes, he saw just as much innocence in her emerald green irises as various village personnel could see into his own.

He looked down at the bone, looked on it with a more cautious eye, and then back at the dragon. Blinking, his face started to end up breaking into a cooler sweat than the usual. Whichever words he would say would be almost bound to cause a rough upset when spoken.

He was almost about to shiver and break down himself, but before he could even do that Sparx approached him from behind and stroked him gently on the ear. But in spite of his best efforts, the reassurance from the dragonfly wasn't quite enough to calm him down.

He saw from Cynder's face that she looked really concerned about the identity of the creature. But with that identity firm inside his head, he thought about the situation over and over. Should he mention the result, or should he abstain, he thought shakily to himself.

His attention went back and forth between the skull and the black dragon. And then, as he looked back at Cynder once more, his face showed everything that he was willing to show – an expression that showed that regardless of the result, he needed to tell the identity to her. And so, he finally plucked up the courage to speak, though his tone of voice was far from courageous.

"Those bones…" he trembled as he focused his eyes towards his peers. "They belong to Spyro."

_-end of chapter-_


	6. The Truth

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Another chapter gone, another set of good response. Thanks to everyone who managed to look into it.

Yes, I wanted to create something shocking with that. D: The plot twist in the recent chapter will be used to some extent in the development of this coming chapter, hoping to clarify more of the link between Spyro and the Dragon Village in the process.

Zerodius, your commentary absolutely surprised me O.O I find it amazing that I managed to get a comment going into that much detail about the previous chapter and speculation on the next, so thank you very much for that. I might as well answer some of your queries while I'm here:-

Firstly, I mentioned in the blurb to the first chapter that I needed to clear up some plot elements left behind from Shadow Legacy, so to that extent the events of that title have gone untouched. That also meant trying to explore a bit more into the Sorcerer himself – people have always said that he was a powerful adversary in spite of being really underdeveloped, hence why I hoped to tackle that matter with the development of the fic itself.

Secondly, the scene only showed three elements that aren't dense rock – a single set of bones (as stated they belonged to Spyro), a decaying statue and a set of footprints. I didn't intend for Spyro to kill a creature and fall with it, even though between you and me that sounds like a pretty damn cool idea. O.O

And finally with the concern of Spyro being turned to a carbon copy of his pre-reboot form; I don't think that's something you need to think much about. Between you and me, the fic started off as a potential idea of how the original cast could be towed into Krome's new storyline, but then developed into the form we have here. And on top of that, unless there's barely been a new game announcement in God knows how long, I consider canon events when planning everything out, and so being able to weave this in so that it could be considered as an intermission in the current storyline.  
Though don't look at me; all my Crash Bandicoot fics had Crash with speaking roles, but that's something I could fix with any fiction that I might write after experiencing Crash of the Titans. But that's for another day and another part of the site…

Either way I hope this answers some of your questions. Anything else would spoil the rest of the story to some degree, so I hope what I provided worked out.

And now we move onto chapter 6. You saw what happened last time; now we need to see how Cynder would react to the situation. Enjoy!

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

The skies surrounding the mountain slopes were slowly getting darker and more poisonous in color. At the time, the red weeds that covered various parts of the ground were already starting to crawl up the rocky structures in mass amounts, to the point that they could potentially block the way up there. 

Yet, that wasn't much of a concern for Cynder, who managed to run from the closed clearing to the checkpoint with ease. As soon as she returned to the junction, she made her way straight towards the edge of the mountain and looked towards the view from nearby.

A view of the unsuspecting dragon village ahead left her to somehow start trembling in her bones. Yet, her feelings were soon hidden as soon as she managed to sense Sparx and Ango, both of which struggling to be able to keep up with her speed in spite of her patience.

"This is so bad!" Cynder looked back to her peers with a frown. "I have to warn Red! I can't believe that Spyro would leave and fight someone so rashly!"

"Relax, Cynder", Sparx remarked as he raised his hands in the air. "I'm sure that he won't do that."

Quickly as he spoke, Sparx's thoughts were at the scene of the skeleton. Seeing the bones cleanly picked away was enough to make him look more puzzled than the usual, to the point that one antenna was flopping down and the other stood up as he thought.

"There's always a chance that the damage back there wasn't fresh", he tried to assure her. "If that was the case, then the clearing would smell… you know, a bit more pleasant."

The remark left Cynder to leer at Sparx, her eyebrows clutching down with anger. "Thank you for sharing your low level of sympathy… moron."

Growling bitterly, Cynder made her pounce straight towards the dragonfly, where they both ended up facing a chase situation across the relatively small area. All that Sparx could do was maintaining as high a distance as he could to avoid any scratches or bites getting inflicted on his body.

Shaking his head with disbelief at the reaction, Ango thought as hard as he could over what would usually happen at the current situation. The argument with him and Sparx prior to meeting Bandit was enough to know what would Spyro do in that situation – get between the pair and break up the fight.

"We can't argue now", he shouted as he outstretched his arms. "We're almost at the Dragon Dojo. Remember, we have a lot of questions for Red!"

Ango's words were enough to stop the fight between the pair. After a brief pause, they both rushed their way towards the edge, and witnessed the scenery from below. The dojo's glowing presence amongst the twisted landscapes were enough to settle her, ready to make a quick advancement no matter what the risks were.

"Going down!!" she beamed as she went closer to the cliff.

As elegantly as she got to the edge, she brought herself onto her stomach with her limbs all stretched out in the shape of a star, leaving her to slide straight down the rocky slopes like a penguin making its venture towards the freezing waters of the Antarctic.

Ango ended up following her, albeit sliding on his back, while Sparx hovered his way towards their direction like a speeding bullet. All three of them soon managed to unite closer as they managed to get their way towards the end of the slope and towards the weed-covered ground beneath it.

As soon as they landed, they looked around in their immediate surroundings. The village was shown to their immediate left while the Dragon Dojo stood proudly towards their right. Unknowing whether to nauseate or exclaim informatively, Cynder brought herself up on both feet and started approaching the building.

"Red! Can you hear me? We have news for you!"

Cynder's shouts echoed directly across the area, rebounding from the standing rocks that were around her. The red weeds contracted the sound through the breeze, yet all they did was merely absorbed it and waved along the braving winds as if nothing ever happened to them.

The dragon's focus remained towards the door of the dojo, where she saw it illuminating thanks to the lanterns that were inside. But in spite of that, there wasn't a trace of any potential shadow at the door, leaving her to look towards her accomplices with an almost empty glaze.

She maintained that look as she faced her peers. "He might not have heard me. I think we'll need to go inside."

"I'm on it, ma'am", winked Sparx.

And so, all together, they approached the dojo together. Their steady approach among the dry ground and red weeds were almost as bitter as the pathway that they faced in the mountains, if not even denser than the usual; yet the lower-altitude air felt much more refreshing on their lungs.

It wasn't long until they all approached the steps that lead straight inside. Once there their attention was brought straight towards the main room, where they saw that it was completely empty; only the meditation mats that grace the room, still in perfect alignment with one another, were left behind.

Trembling nervously, she made a dash for Red's study right at the back. As soon as she got to the folding screen she was about to raise a paw to open it herself when all of a sudden… it moved on its own accord. She jumped with surprise at the sight, screaming slightly. And as soon as it was opened, her eyes were met with another figure – another dragon, but… one that she instantly recognised in appearance.

"Spyro! You're…" her heart thumped at a brisker pace as she paused. "You're alive!"

"What? Cynder?"

The sight of Cynder's face was almost shown to be an equally shocking gesture for Spyro as the sight of him was to her. And, almost excitedly, she made her leap straight towards him, leaving them to roll straight towards the interiors of Red's study.

As quickly as they got in, they both made their exit and into the main room, both of which now realising the comfort of finding each other again, in Spyro's face being the first time since the storm, and in Cynder's case being the first time since recovering him from the purple void in the mountains.

They both started chasing each other in circles, before they soon ended up stopping and grazing each other on the cheeks gently, happy to see each other once more. Exchanging excitable laughter between one another, they both were glad to finally unite their eyes with one another again; similar feelings were equally sent upon Sparx and Ango in the background, both of which equally showing surprise at Spyro's recovery and relief to see them as happy as they were at that moment in time.

"You're… you're okay", she joyfully yet shakily remarked towards him.

"I can't believe how much I longed to see your face again, Cynder", he jaw-dropped in return. "But… your face…!"

The joyful expressions shown upon the dragons' faces suddenly started to drop as they looked closer towards one another. And there, Spyro was able to look closer towards Cynder's more truthful expression – one of fear that almost drained the color from her cheeks.

"You look as if you saw a ghost. What happened?"

Cynder tried to open her mouth to speak, yet in spite of that… no words were able to come out. That somehow left her to show a frown as she end up making her walk towards one of the meditation rugs, sitting firmly upon them and looking down at her front paws' claws.

Looking concerned over her feelings, Spyro soon made a walk straight towards her, sitting down firmly next to her and looking towards her face. It wasn't long until she finally plucked up the courage to be able to form eye contact with the purple dragon once more, this time being more confident to speak.

"It was something I saw beyond the cliffs" she started to explain. "I saw your skeleton, but you're also here. Ango definitely said that it was your bones, but what happened?"

"That sounds like a strange set of news", said a familiar voice intriguingly. "A Spyro skeleton there, and the living thing here…"

The remark from behind the dragons caused the group to look in that direction. And there, Red was seen making his way towards the group, having obviously overheard the conversation from his study, his facial expression starting to show one filled with wonder.

"I don't want to betray the Dragon Elders again", he blinked while looking to the opposing walls, "but this is something that I need to witness. If this is going to be of any aid to understanding his amnesia problem, this has to be worth seeing."

"So you're saying you want to take us there?" Cynder asked him nervously.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Spyro asked in return. "I too am just as curious as Red."

"Believe me, pal", shivered Sparx. "You will feel just as unsettled as we did up there."

Sparx soon hovered his way back towards the purple dragon, taking a tight grasp around his cheeks once more, trying to make his shaken expression more obvious to the eyes of his peer. Yet in spite of it, Spyro looked far from convinced to see how he could have been frightened like that.

The thought remained firm inside his head though – the possibility of a skeleton of himself could be enough to make him shiver on the spot, yet if he never knew the village, that couldn't really be him, or couldn't it? With that in mind, he lightly bit his tongue and turned straight back towards Red.

"I need to look at this and see for myself", ordered Spyro in a brave vocal tone.

Red nodded gently, accepting the request. "Very well, let's head outside."

All together, they turned towards the front door, and saw it showing the familiar cold colors in comparison to the warmth of the dojo itself. Taking a proud clutch onto his sceptre, Red made his departure first, his footsteps becoming more delicate as he headed further out.

The others followed him one by one, stepping towards the ground beneath. Though there were still traces of dirt, rocks and red weeds down below, the scene around the dojo still was felt to be calm and tranquil – a refreshing sight after a series of disturbing encounters.

"Hop on, everyone", Red beamed confidently as he brought himself into a crouching stance. "It's going to be a bumpy ride."

Spyro's eyes widened at Red's sudden actions. "You're saying you can fly?"

"Of course I can fly! It's dragon etiquette to fly! I've still got what it takes after all these years, believe in me."

Red's shout was enough to almost send Sparx hovering back slightly, almost startled at the power of his booming tenor voice tones. Still in shock, he hovered towards the Elder nonetheless, and as soon as he got there he hovered up to his horns, holding onto both of them like the handlebars of a bicycle.

Spyro and Cynder followed suit, both climbing upon Red's shoulders gracefully yet nervously. Ango initially showed concern in any space for him or lack thereof, though he soon found a place – being carried through Red's grasp via his left arm, which in turn secured him like a seatbelt.

"Let's head over the mountainside! We're in for a thrilling ride!"

And so, Red started to make a jog along the scenery, taking several thunderous steps in his stride. Then the speed slowly started to pick up, causing Spyro, Sparx and Cynder to hold onto the red dragon tighter than the usual while observing the blurring scene ahead.

And almost like magic, Red made a leap up, and used his wings to hover straight up into the sky. A few flaps omitted from them soon sent him to a position three times the size of the dojo, all without any signs of stopping as he got closer and closer to the skies above.

And then, they were soon at a height that was twice as high as the tallest mountain peak, giving them a view of the ground from below. In spite of being able to make clear note of the Convexity-like void that surrounded the Sorcerer's lair as well as the darkened clouds nearby, it was a beautiful sight that filled their hearts with warmth.

"I can see my house from here!"

Sparx pointed down towards the Dragon Village with a confident face, but before he could even do much else, he suddenly had all heads turned towards his direction – or in Red's case, eyes rolled up towards him – all of which looking concerned over what he meant by that.

"What? I'm only trying to kid around", he frowned with a shrug of his shoulders and a flash of his teeth. "Does anyone here have a sense of humor?"

The group then reacted by lowering their focuses and sighing in unison, thinking that they faced another meaningless comment given out from the dragonfly. He thus ended up reacting with a brief eye twitch before he faced straight forward again, holding tighter onto Red's horns.

And thus, they all went further and further into the air, towards the mountain peaks. Though it could be seen as a rare spectacle to be sent flying the way they were, it was assumed to be a safe and pleasurable feeling that would soon end up countering what they would face at their target destination.

* * *

Finally they made their way directly above the summit. The thick clouds made landing conditions slightly difficult to bear thanks to them covering most of the mountain peaks, almost trying to obscure the vision of Red and everyone that rode upon him. 

Yet when he made his gradual descent, the clouds soon started to become less and less of a visual blockade. After several seconds passed, the statue that stood right in the middle of the clearing was obviously made out, standing there with a brave amount of majesty.

And then, Red slowly started to make a tighter drop towards the ground, using his wings for gentle air resistance support. While that happened, Sparx casually smiled as he saw the clearing coming closer and closer into view, holding onto his horns and looking into the sky as he did so.

"This is your captain Sparx speaking", he addressed his peers in a low and almost monotone voice. "We will be landing at the summit in five minutes. Make sure that your seatbelts are fastened and your luggage is up in the shelving above you. Thank you for flying Red airlines."

He then brought his attention directly towards his peers… only for his eyes to be met with those of confusion from everyone around him. The glances exchanged were enough for him to blush slightly, before he soon pulled himself together, raising a fist in the air with one hand while continuing to hold onto one of Red's horns with the other.

"What? I always wanted to say that!" he gritted his teeth semi-bitterly.

His remark caused many of the personnel to end up reacting with irritation, with Cynder and Red showing reactions among the most obvious. Rolling his eyes at the thought, he then resumed to using both of his hands to hold onto the Elder's horns, scowling under his own breath.

A couple of minutes later, Red managed to get himself into a position close enough to make a clean landing upon the ground. And then, he brought out both of his feet and crouched down as he disembarked again, instantly bringing himself in a position to release Ango and allow everyone else to dismount him.

The clearing was seen right in front of their viewpoint once more. Repeated feelings of anxiety were shown upon the expressions for Cynder, Sparx and Ango, yet for Spyro, he felt as though he had just walked straight inside the wreckage of a bushfire gone past.

"There it is!" Ango jumped up with his eyes focused towards a white mass ahead of him. "Come on!"

The kid's shout was enough for the dragon to focus his attention towards him. There he ran right into the middle of the clearing, his eyes focusing ahead on an object that he felt more than anxious to share. Not long after that, the others cautiously followed him.

And just like that, he managed to come to a direct stop after several seconds. As soon as he did, the others soon managed to catch up straight towards him. The white mass was seen at his feet, left to remain in the same peaceful state that it was initially presented with.

Spyro's heart sank at the sight. "So this is the skeleton you found…"

And right there, the skeleton was seen in its full glory – the bones were left in exactly the same state they were left in minus the debris that Cynder managed to wipe away earlier. The state that they left behind was enough to add fear towards her, Sparx and Ango once more.

Spyro himself, however, started to show a worried expression that was starting to face similarities to what his peers managed to face when venturing there for the first time. Yet, Red managed to stand there, eyeing the skeleton with an expression that was only half-sympathetic and half-perplexed.

"I don't like the looks of this place!" Spyro worryingly remarked towards the others, Red in particular. "Is this… is this place my future?"

"I don't know what this is", Cynder replied with a similar glance. "But none of the residents knew anything about me."

The purple dragon lowered his head, accepting Cynder's comment. "And most of them never knew about a Dragon Temple either."

The confirmed suspicions continued to seep through his mind like water on a sponge; it was at that point that some of the strangeness of this uncharted realm was almost enough for him to locate the truth behind its link between him and his 'relationship' with the other residents.

Looking back amongst Cynder, Sparx, Ango, Red and the skeleton were enough to give him enough time to think about his next point. And with the thoughts finally processed, he looked straight up to the sky, his eyes starting to glisten amongst the blue-green backdrops.

"That means…" he paused before making a conclusion, "that this could be a different purple dragon."

"What?" Cynder blinked at the sound of his remark. "What are the chances of there being another purple dragon named Spyro, just like you?"

"Remember what Ignitus said? A purple dragon is born once every ten generations. And if I am destined to defeat the Dark Master, then…"

Before Spyro could even finish off his own sentence, he looked towards the walls that surrounded the summit, thinking of its conclusion. There was a possibility that he and the skeleton were one and the same, but if that was true then that would mean that he would have been unable to gain the maximum amount of power to defeat the Dark Master if that was the case.

And then he thought about the other possibility – the chance of going on to fulfil his destiny on actually defeating said nemesis and living the rest of his days in solitude. But if that was the case, Cynder's words would still render to be useful – what are the probability of two dragons of the same flesh color bearing the same name?

"This is too confusing", Spyro frowned, thinking of all the awkward possibilities. "I need time to think of this a bit more."

"Yeah", Cynder nodded with agreement. "I'd rather not think about your destiny until the time comes."

With just the same morbid expression as the purple dragon, Cynder made her approach towards him and gently brushed her cheek against his for assurance. He looked back at her with a slightly warming expression, knowing that any time to think of the current situation would be much later.

He almost turned around to leave the area, but before he could even make the first twist towards the claustrophobic path, a white flash soon started to show in the distance. Quickly he refocused himself and tried to take a look directly at it with his own two eyes.

"I see that you managed to locate the flesh and blood of Spyro the Dragon. But I also see another purple dragon in front of me. What gives?"

The remark was enough for them to focus closer and closer towards the glowing figure. And there, a silhouette was soon seen – one that resembled a stick, but had two round spheres on the other end as well as a pair of clear wings that allowed it to hover above the ground.

"A battle scarred dragonfly?" Spyro tried to identify the creature with confusion.

"I'm afraid I'm nothing more than an illusion now", the figure spoke with a squeaky yet morbid tone. "Spyro and I were great companions back then. We both fought on until the very end, when the Sorcerer made his final attack against us."

The remark left the group to look on, confused as they were. Somehow it felt like a coincidence – Spyro spent his time with Sparx and his family before he found his place in the Dragon Temple, and so it seemed like a concurrence that this dragonfly ended up facing similar experiences.

Although they were unable to see much of its feelings, it still felt confident to be able to discuss as much as possible, regardless of how confusing it could get. Calmly, it hovered its way closer, though not quite as close to make out any set of potent details whatsoever.

"Let me mention everything to you", he addressed the group with a buzz. "Not long ago, the Sorcerer threatened to transform the entire Dragon Realms into a Shadow Realm, trapping everyone inside it. He almost succeeded, but Spyro saved everyone and defeated the Sorcerer, thanks to the aid of the Shadowstone and the ancient art form of Dragon Kata."

The mention of the Shadowstone was enough for Spyro to show some deep interest thanks to hearing it mentioned before at the Sorcerer's lair and in front of the Professor. Yet the mention of Dragon Kata was enough for Cynder to look back at Ango, thinking about his words while heading there.

"Was that the art you were referring to when we faced those scorpions on the way here, Ango?" she asked him curiously.

The kid's eyes widened with hope. "That's it! I know what it was like, but I didn't know its name."

"I can understand that", replied Red with a stern look. "Assuming your ability to sense feelings, you should already know that I was one of the Dragon Elders that taught Spyro such tricks, namely the finishing move that aided in the Sorcerer's initial defeat."

The group looked straight on towards Red. Spyro managed to take word about such a finisher that he supposedly ended up defeating the Sorcerer with before according to his words, yet he never would have guessed that he learnt the technique from what was essentially a bipedal dragon.

"You've got that right, Red", the shadow nodded in his direction. "But this is where the story starts to get more awkward."

The group then focused their attention straight back towards the dragonfly, interested to hear more from its point of view. Calmly they tried to approach him, but before they could get up close towards it, it slowly hovered its way back the way it initially came from.

Knowing that there was no way that they could be able to look towards it, they ended up staying still in place, fixing their focus straight towards it and ready to take in its words. Lowering what looked like a head towards the ground, it then drifted higher, ready to speak again.

"Six months ago, the Sorcerer made another raid upon the Dragon Realms, threatening to leech the life energy from the world and turn it into a shadowy counterpart. Spyro and I went back to his lair to stop him from doing that."

Upon the remark, the group quickly looked behind them. The sign of the black cloud that hung over the Dragon Village was seen clearly over the wall of the clearing, looking just as sinister and emotionless as ever. Perhaps that might have been the situation that the dragonfly was describing, they thought.

"A long and powerful struggle occurred between us two. We were both well equipped at that, but… in the end…"

Before the dragonfly could finish off its own sentence… it started to feel as if it had a frog in its throat. Shaking gently, it hovered further down towards the ground, its wings obviously hovering lower and shaking more. The sight was enough for them to refocus their attention to it, curious over it and wondering what had happened.

"The Sorcerer's magic… it was just too powerful… and then… then…"

The dragonfly ended up flinching once again, struggling to form a sentence with its own mouth. What made it feel even worse still was that a series of sobs were shown to come out from its mouth. A set of deep concern were shown upon their faces as they looked closer at it, with most of it shown on Red in particular.

Eventually, the weeps calmed down, and the dragonfly ended up raising itself into the air. It raised its head slightly, but before it could even finish its sentence off, it soon lowered its head straight down towards the ground once again, slowly and rather upsettingly.

"He completely overpowered us. Spyro and I _died on the spot."_

At the sound of the remark, everyone reacted with expressions of varying degrees of shock. It was then that they knew the gravity of the situation and the entire story as to why the citizens of the Dragon Village have failed to make contact with Spyro for an incredibly long period of time.

Even Red's expression changed from its stern perplexing glance to one of unease, as he too struggled to take in the reality of what had occurred. And there, he looked straight towards the battle-scarred dragonfly, his mouth itching to ask so many questions at once.

"But… how is this possible? Spyro's right here and… somehow…" Red soon started to blink as soon as his eyes were fixed on the purple dragon. "Wait a second. Where did you come from anyway?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Spyro shouted back at Red as loud as he possibly could. "Sparx, Cynder and I reside in a Dragon Temple far away from here. I never would have thought that the thunderstorm there would take me to…"

Before Spyro could even finish off his sentence, he somehow looked straight down and thought about the current situation. If he was standing there as he was, adding that to the puzzles that were around him left him to make a conclusion made as soon as he lifted his head up once more.

"What seems like a completely different dimension to this one", he concluded in a softer tone.

That remark left Red to look puzzled. What kind of idea is dimension travel anyway, he thought to himself. In spite of this discussion being a key component to how Spyro was shown there, he still looked as if he was refusing to take the entire story inside his head.

Yet, the purple dragon looked a lot more convinced. In spite of the painful back-story, he walked towards the battle-scarred dragonfly and sat down in front of it, focusing his eyes straight towards it with a glance showcasing a gratitude-filled facial expression.

"Whoever you are, thanks for your answers", he showed his appreciation for the dragonfly while lowering his head. "But is there any way that we can return home?"

"I know of a sacred place to the East of the village, but that's something you have to unlock yourself", sighed the creature. "I would have loved to help you, but I don't know any means possible to help you traverse it."

The dragonfly's reluctance was enough for Spyro to show a slight trace of desperation amongst his face. As hastily as possible, he then stood up and looked towards the creature, his back limbs starting to tremble in their place as well as his eyes showing his desire for any further assistance.

"Tell me!" he called out towards the creature heartily. "Surely you must do something!"

"I'm sorry, but I still have doubts", the dragonfly frowned. "But promise me this - if you or any of the villagers find the Shadowstone again, then you will know that we will be right here."

The dragonfly soon drifted his way closer towards Spyro, and as soon as it was a mere centimetre away from his chest, it pointed straight at the spot where his heart would reside, radiating a warm glow that soon started to trickle from there, up his head, to the tips of his feet and tail.

Spyro looked back at the creature, hoping to respond back with any form of gratitude. But before he could even open his mouth to speak, the dragonfly itself started to fade into nothing more but faint glimmers of particles among the stale air that surrounded them both.

"_Trust yourself on this one. I, Sparx, have a strong belief in you."_

And so, upon the last remark, the dragonfly was nothing more than several fading particles of light, drifting around like fireflies in a darkened forest. They circled Spyro, Sparx, Cynder, Ango and Red one by one, before finally fading into nothing – becoming one with the air.

Most of the group were still left in shock over having heard the truth, thanks to the incident. Sparx was no different, scratching his head with one hand, knowing that in the same place that there was another purple dragon that shared Spyro's name, there was also a dragonfly that shared _his_ as well.

"Wait a second", Sparx almost dropped his jaw, thinking more and more about the dragonfly's final response. "This isn't coincidence, is it?"

"It could be, but if it relates to our final destiny, I'd rather find out later", Spyro replied sternly. "For now, we need to head to that place east of the village."

The request left Red to hang his head down low. "I'm sorry, but I can't carry you that far. Firstly, most places beyond the village are really foreboding these days thanks to the scars of the Sorcerer's recent actions, as shown by just heading here in the first place. And secondly, I'm going to get scolded for leaving the dojo unattended for too long!"

Before Red could even finish off his last sentence, Sparx responded with a shake of the head, clicking his tongue in rhythm. "You look like the kind of guy that doesn't mind a beating every now and again. Your walking proves just that!"

"Very funny, you talking lantern."

Bitterly, Red brought up one of his claws and almost swiped the dragonfly straight towards the ground, yet before Sparx could take damage he quickly somersaulted out of the way. Sighing, the Dragon Elder looked back towards the sky, a thick silver lining of clouds soon starting to appear overhead.

"Now let's get out of here before anything bad happens!"

Once again he brought himself into a standing pose, with his hands hanging low, his right arm still maintaining a tight grasp on his sceptre. And once again that also meant Spyro and Cynder reclaiming their positions on top of Red's shoulders, Sparx on his horns and Ango being hooked around by the Elder's left arm.

Just as quickly as he did when leaving the Dragon Dojo, Red made his run along the clearing, and as soon as he reached the maximum speed in his run, he leapt up into the sky and soared straight above the clearing again. He looked back at it as he left it, hoping that he would never have to approach that location again.

* * *

It wasn't long until Red managed to hover far away from the summit and back towards the Dragon Village. The view of all the houses and structures there once again showed themselves as a beautiful and valiant sight for the group flying upon him. 

Several clouds went straight through them, and the cool breeze managed to blow straight through them. But in spite of these pleasurable experiences when hovering up into the air, not everyone felt optimistic upon the excursion, especially since when seeing the battle scarred dragonfly earlier – an incarnation of Sparx.

Spyro was left in a deep state of thought especially. He never would have guessed that there was another purple dragon that bore his name; yet what kind of connection could he have had with him? Were they one and the same? Or would it relate to his final destiny?

"We're coming in for landing", Red screeched as loud as a firework. "Take cover!"

The thoughts were soon disturbed, as the dragon looked over Red's left shoulder and saw that they were coming closer and closer towards the ground of the village. And then, they were close enough to the point that Red managed to change his orientation, lowering his feet towards the dusty ground below.

And then, he landed safely, crouching over as he did so, allowing for everyone to dismount him and look onto the nearest landmark available to them – the eastern exit from out of the village. A flatter plain was shown ahead, making it look slightly less intimidating than what the mountain range previously had.

"Okay, you're on your own", said Red as he regained his posture. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help, but I'm glad that I now know the truth behind you, Spyro."

"No problem. But I'm not going to let a vision like that stop me from doing what I can to find a way home."

Though his expression showed a slight amount of sentiment while reflecting back to the skeleton on the summit, the dragon still felt keen enough to make his way through the clearing, towards the 'sacred place' that was mentioned. He took a few steps towards the gate, yet before he even went through, he turned straight back towards the Elder with his eyes shimmering with gratitude.

"Good luck in your endeavours, Red", he spoke with a hint of encouragement.

Spyro's remark was enough for Red to smile back warmly; though his eyes showed that he might be a little bit on the tough side in the purple dragon's point of view, there was something about his previous few actions that made him feel that the Elder was a worthy associate.

The Elder was there to support him in his recovery, as well as guiding him straight up towards the summit, where he heard that he also acted as a brief guide for the incarnation of Spyro that graced the village as well. Knowing that he meant well, he gave off a confident smile and walked through the gate, taking Sparx, Ango and Cynder with him.

Silence then surrounded the entire area. All that Red could do was turn away from the gate, still smiling with a warm glare. Clutching onto his staff, anxious to spread the word of what he managed to see to the rest of the village, he made a walk towards a nearby empty market stall and raised his hands straight into the air.

"Citizens of the Dragon Village!" he boomed slowly. "Can you hear me?"

Red's shouts echoed right across the village, yet to no avail. The distant willow tree was left to blow gently in the wind, and the gravel on the floor simmered gently among his feet, almost as if they were attempting to bury them as he stood firmly into position.

"I bring news, and it's about Spyro the Dragon!"

The shout soon ended up being enough to cause a small amount of noise from one end of the village. He looked in that direction, and saw a local dragon villager look outside, focusing its attention onto Red with a sheepish expression shown right upon its face.

And then, one by one, various other civilians went outside, all of them looking equally as curious at the Elder. And as soon as they were all outside, they cautiously made their approach towards him, ready to witness exactly what he had to say to them all.

The Elder looked back at them all, perspiring slightly. Exactly how would he explain everything he just saw in terms that they would understand? Without much time to think the question over, he then raised his hand in the air and started addressing the villagers in an informative but sympathetic voice.

* * *

The pathway that started east out of the village was just as dangerous as the path up the cliff side to begin with. Red weeds still covered the ground, yet the amount of rocks that blocked their path was considerably lesser now that they were facing lower ground. 

That however didn't stop the occasional cliff to end up showing in each direction, though. One in particular ended up forming a dead end among the pathway itself, leaving the group to show perplexed expressions as they looked straight towards the tougher structures. It could be too tough to climb, and too high to simply fly over safely.

"Look at the size of this cliff!" Spyro blinked towards the towering natural structure. "I don't think we can get up there alone."

"Not when I'm here!"

Confidently, Ango rushed his way towards the cliff with his arms outstretched. But in spite of his decision, Spyro quickly rushed his way towards the kid and tried to halt him in the event that he could get hurt from just charging his way towards the wall out of senselessness.

"What are you doing?" he asked the kid as he tried to claim his tail with his teeth.

Ango soon raised a hand and pushed the dragon aside, before he soon managed to reach the surface of the wall. And right there, he placed his arms straight inside two of the cracks. All that the group could do was waiting and seeing what kind of bright ideas the kid could come up with.

And just like that, a glow of white energy started to surround him, flashing from the interior of the cracks and making their way straight up towards the tips. A rumble was heard from up above, causing a few slabs of rock to fall their way straight towards them all.

The rocks continued to fall, increasing their mass with every slab that came through. Finally, it became too much for him to handle, leaving him to release his grasp; all that remained was a steep slope that made its way towards a higher level of the field area.

"We have a way through to the end of the valley", he joyfully jumped up. "We are sure to find your way home through here if we keep your mind to it."

"I'm ready to go through", Spyro boldly beamed. "Are you guys with me?"

Ango gave off a confident smile, as did Sparx. And before they could tackle the situation together, Cynder and the kid quickly ran ahead together – both as elegantly as cheetah cubs. Their footsteps were heard from the distance, clashing gently with the rocky structures beneath them.

Spyro almost followed suit, but it was then that he felt something tug his horns before he could even start making his ascent. And just like most of the other tugs that he faced before, it all ended with seeing a familiar tail drift right through the middle of his forehead.

"Sparx, what are you doing?" he questioned the dragonfly with an irritated look.

"It's the least that I can do. Riding on horns is fun now, isn't it?"

Sparx's optimistic cry was enough for Spyro to almost cringe – of all times when he had to act as a guiding light, he had to pick the worst possible time. Of all times he had to pick a time when the daylight above can illuminate the area as clearly as an oriental lantern regardless of how faint it was.

Either way, he knew he had to press on. Just as quickly as Ango made his dash through the crevice, Spyro proceeded in doing the same, allowing his feet to dig into the soft ground that formed it. It wasn't long until he managed to find himself back out into the open, back towards the rocky yet free structures that formed the plains.

A path was seen, looking almost similar as those that they faced the mountain slopes with, yet they didn't seem to be quite as steep. Several paces forward, he ended up getting a clearer and clearer view of the plains, yet… it soon got clear enough to make a sudden stop.

"Now what?" Ango asked Spyro with a twitch of his nose.

"I can see something pink in the distance!"

Calmly, Ango made his run back towards Spyro, curious over his words. And true to his word, there was what looked like a pink object, shining like a low star in the distance. The sight was enough for it to be taken in as a potent object, potentially a glowing object like a lantern or another dragonfly.

Yet the colors looked almost too familiar towards Sparx. His facial expression left him to show one with a confounding glare, trying to rub his eyes and seeing if he wasn't facing any illusions in the process. Having seen that the object didn't change in front of his eyes, he focused his head back towards the dragon with a twitch in his mouth.

"Are you sure you haven't caught my eyesight from the Sorcerer battle earlier?" the dragonfly asked, recounting the temporary pink and white canvas that covered his eyes moments before.

Spyro responded with a brisk shake of the head. "No, I'm sure it's something good. Let's just keep going!"

Determined to look closer towards the object for himself, Spyro took a lengthy stride forward before picking his running speed up once again. The sight of his optimism left Sparx to remain stationary in the air, scratching his head as he saw the dragon run off into the distance.

He focused his attention towards where Ango and Cynder both stood; only to find that both managed to run off without him. The sight of the bright pink light in the distance was all that seemed to draw their attention; bearing that in mind, Sparx had no choice but to give in and hover there himself.

No one knew exactly how important it could be in granting a direction back towards the Dragon Temple. Yet they knew that as they got closer towards it, this importance will be seen in a clear light, and so will the next step for Spyro's goal – a way to return home.

_-end of chapter-_


	7. The Detour

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Again, thanks for the responses. It's good to see the fic's been read upon still, so all's good.

I know that there were so many people that were upset at the prospect of the incarnation of Spyro as we knew through the original storyline getting killed at the hands of the Sorcerer, and to be honest it even haunted me too. It's just that the way I see it, the franchise got a reboot for a reason (there's almost no way to expand the simple platform genre on advanced systems these days). Add to that Shadow Legacy never concluded a definite closure between the conflict of Spyro and the Sorcerer, and I felt that it needed exploring in a twisted fashion.

And we also have another burning question from one of the anonymous readers. Thanks, CynderXSpyro rock. The question of Spyro's feelings for the Dragon Village will be addressed in this chapter luckily enough. And you have a point that the original style Spyro won't stand a chance against the enemy set in A New Beginning, but we aren't dealing with that kind of enemy roster, aren't we:p Likewise, a similar struggle ANB Spyro combating monsters from the previous storyline – specifically the type of monsters seen in Shadow Legacy – will also be highlighted here as well.

Detailing the chapter in depth would only spoil it again, but I hope it goes well. I've only just had time to sneak this in thanks to my University graduation tomorrow, and I hope it gets transmitted well.

Enjoy and thanks for the feedback so far!

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

The Eastern path started to become slightly unlevelled as it went higher in altitude. Yet in comparison to the Northern passage, it was felt to be considerably lower towards the sky than anticipated, making way for significantly more ease to ascend the gentle slopes that graced them.

But it wasn't to say that it didn't look without danger. Just like at the way to the Sorcerer's lair, the path was shown to end at the edge of a cliff. However, it didn't result in a purple light below, but rather a drop several hundred feet towards the ocean beneath them, glistening eerily with a haunting maroon color scheme to match the sky.

Right at the end of it stood the bright pink object, which in turn looked significantly clearer when approached much closer. And that was exactly what Spyro, Sparx, Ango and Cynder were doing – the object was reflected into their eyes as sharply as a flashlight shone into a mirror.

"Whoa, look at the size of this thing!"

For once, Sparx showed excitement and anticipation, leaving him to release his grasp from the top of Spyro's head and be the first to come close towards the object. In fact, all it looked like was a simple vortex twisting in place. The sight of it allowed for the colors to reflect upon the dragonfly's flesh like lights from a disco ball.

"This looks just like the portal that took us to Convexity and back", Cynder blinked as she looked at it from her position, mere feet behind the dragonfly. "But what is it doing out here?"

Spyro reacted by looking at her with an insecure glance. "I don't know, but it could mean something."

Spyro's remark caused Sparx to look behind him. And there, he saw him and the others catch up with the object as well, though in comparison to the eager stance as shown from the dragonfly, they approached the object with more tentative footsteps, shown on the ground by shallow footprints left behind.

As soon as the purple dragon reached the object, he stood right next to Sparx and looked straight at it. The light energy was in turn reflected from his flesh as well, and it was there that he felt a strange yet pleasant breeze flow right past him like feathers in an aviary.

"It feels surprisingly warm", the purple dragon whispered with awe.

Though the colors swirling in the vortex seemed to welcome more fearful overtones than pleasant, in comparison to the rest of the surroundings they were shown to be the brightest and hopeful set of guiding lights that were portrayed upon his braving journey so far.

It got to the point that he was left to look on at the swirling patterns, his curiousness starting to turn more relaxed, and his eyes left to stare that them as if he was welcomed into a hypnotic trance. His state of mind felt more at peace and reassuring of what was beyond the strange contraption.

"I have a feeling that this could be our way home, but…"

Before Spyro could even finish off his sentence, he observed the lights more, and then several seconds afterwards he hastily turned towards the village once more. And as quickly as his moods picked up once more, his face dropped again, looking just as hopeless as he felt in the varying dangerous situations before.

"Out with it, buddy!" exclaimed Sparx as he suddenly lurched over the dragon's head. "I know you can share a few words with us. Best friends never keep their secrets!"

Sparx's remark left Spyro to turn towards him with a cautious blink. As reassuring as his companion felt towards him, it felt like nothing in comparison to thinking about the situation at hand. Wanting to hear as much as possible, the dragonfly quickly hovered around the other side of the dragon's head, clutching his hands tightly.

"Hey, if it makes up for you, I'll share one of my own secrets. I found this weird red mushroom with white spots on it on your birthday, and-"

"_I don't want to leave this place behind."_

Spyro's sudden remark caused the dragonfly to quickly widen his eyes. Of course, the initial goal at the end of the day was to find this temple and settle down, or at least go straight there and return to the village not long after that with help from anyone that remained there.

But in spite of the thought, the dragon's expression felt more insecure. What if he left the village and never came back? What would happen to the village and the landscapes around it? And what would become of everyone that he came to meet there, regardless of the connections he had with them or lack thereof?

"What's wrong?" Sparx started to challenge his thoughts. "I thought now that we found a way back, we can return to the Dragon Temple in peace. That's what Cynder wants, right? That's what Ignitus would probably want as well."

"I know, but this place is in danger", replied Spyro, turning back towards the Dragon Village helplessly. "I can't just leave them unprotected."

His focus soon shifted towards the dark cloud that hung directly over the village, still remaining in place as eerily as it was when he saw it for the first time. The sign of the setting's hopelessness was enough for him to re-align his head and lower it down to the ground.

"I can't leave them behind, not in a state like this", the purple dragon brashly spoke in a breezier tone than the usual. "There's something that needs to be done about this. And I need to make haste on it!"

Almost rashly, Spyro started to take a few footsteps back towards the village, but upon turning back to see his comrades… he already saw Cynder approaching the vortex, as if she was ready to make her way inside. Concerned for her actions, he started rushing towards her quickly.

"Cynder, where are you going?" he asked her semi-impatiently.

"There's something coming through the portal!"

Upon the shout, Spyro quickly came close towards the edge of the vortex, looking closely to the inside of it. And there, there was a faint black blur sweeping through it from the distance – too far to make out any details, but enough for them to wonder about the strangeness behind its use.

Eventually the shadow started to become more and more defined. A pair of wings was graced upon its back, along with a long tail and a set of horns on its head. The signs were enough to know one thing upon the faces of Spyro, Sparx and Cynder – they had seen that figure somewhere before.

"Is this a dragon shadow?" Ango quickly jumped to a conclusion. "But… this one also looks different from the creatures at the Dragon Village."

Before the kid could finish his sentence, Cynder paced backwards briskly. "Quick, make a step out of the way so it can land!"

By her command, they all took several steps backwards, making room for the creature inside the vortex to make its landing. And just like that, the shadow came faster and faster towards them, before arriving straight out of the entrance of the swirling vortex itself and landing just outside it.

It showed itself as a quadruped dragon just like Spyro and Cynder, though this one stood significantly taller than them both, sporting a main red flesh color with touches of bronze shown upon his chest and nearly-straightened horns. Other details that were made out were shallow dark orange eyes along with general flesh textures that resembled sharp flickers of fire.

"Ignitus?" Spyro identified the creature with awe.

"Spyro, you're here!" he joyfully responded with an aged yet fatherly vocal tone. "I never would have thought I would find you!"

With a joyful facial expression, Ignitus made a brief footstep towards Spyro, lowered his head towards the dragon and reacted with a warm smile graced upon his face. The purple dragon tried to respond the same in return, yet the least he could do was look towards the floor, away from the red dragon's direction.

"I don't know what kind of strange place the storm might have brought you in", the red dragon spoke with concern, "but we need to get you out of here and back home."

"I think old guy Ignitus needs the explanation again, Spyro", beamed Sparx, flashing his teeth like a circus clown. "Give it all you've got!"

Sparx's remark caused Spyro to turn straight towards the dragonfly, his face looking really optimistic to the point that he was sure that Ignitus would understand his reason for wanting to stay. With a morbid sigh, the purple dragon turned back and looked back at him with widened eyes.

"Are you saying there's something about this place that affects us in some form or other?" Ignitus asked him, noticing Spyro's expression.

"Believe in us, Ignitus sir", nodded Cynder with confidence. "We faced enough sinister events here to match with back home."

And so, bit by bit, Spyro started to make his explanation towards everything that he saw since the calm of the storm. Everything from the dragon village's situation to the plight of the Sorcerer to even the destiny of another purple dragon was referenced to Ignitus, who managed to understand his words clearly in spite of the fear that gradually built in his voice over time.

From the basic explanation, added details were placed into the discussion. His mention on how Ango ended up being a help initially saw the red dragon end up with confusion on how a creature that came from the same line of monsters that once served under Cynder would come to help them, yet his hopeful and optimistic pair of eyes were more than enough to accept him just as quickly as Spyro did.

And then there came the mention on the Sorcerer's lair and the familiar Convexity-style surroundings. By then, Ignitus knew that that aspect of the realm couldn't have been there by coincidence, leaving him to blink with a curious blink, thinking so hard to picture the situation in his head.

As soon as the final detail was mentioned, Spyro ended up lowering his head towards the ground beneath, knowing that in spite of explaining everything it all felt so painful to leave it all behind. He didn't say much beyond then, yet his expression was everything that Ignitus needed to know how he felt.

"So THAT'S why you don't want to go back", he responded with consideration.

Calmly yet shakily at the same time, Spyro brought his head down to the ground. The sight was enough for him to end up looking towards the village, and then back at the personnel in front of him; seeing them in the state that they were currently in was enough for him to know that if something needed to be done, then that was that.

"I don't know how much use I could be to you, but if you want to save this realm, then there's no stopping you", Ignitus nodded, accepting the situation at hand.

Calmly he took a few steps towards the village, eyeing its structure as well as the black cloud that hung above it. And then he looked back at Spyro, raising an eyebrow in concern, thinking about the last time he placed himself into a life-threatening situation similar to this one.

"Are you sure you're ready?" the red dragon asked softly.

Spyro responded with a slow yet confident nod. "I can breathe fire and charge on my own accord again. I may not be as powerful as I was when I fought Cynder, but I am sure I'm capable enough to restore this realm."

Spyro's words felt really convincing and honest, Ignitus thought calmly to himself. But regardless of that meaning, his thoughts ended up being really insecure. Sure, the purple dragon ended up facing more types of power than he currently had in the past, but his changing levels of confidence may be of concern, he puzzled quietly once more.

Meanwhile, Spyro looked his way back towards the village, and back at the group. One thought remained on his mind – if he was only just able to survive the encounter with the Sorcerer back at his lair, then odds are there would be something more powerful required to be able to tackle the rest of the quest.

"I think I need more than my current skills to overcome this", he remarked cautiously. "I've heard about a Shadowstone previously used against the Sorcerer to control an energy force powerful enough to weaken him, and I want to see if it can be useful enough to overcome the restoration."

"Be careful", blinked Cynder. "It might be your decision for doing this, but you also need to make sure you keep safe. We don't want you to fall like you did when leaving his lair again."

Spyro blinked briefly for one second. He thought back towards the time when he left the Sorcerer's lair, desperate to leave the void and attempt to fly his way back to the mountainside, not at all realising that he would be struck by a burning rock on the back of his head.

The feeling was left stuck in the back of his mind, with a feeling that he almost certainly didn't want to run in that situation ever again. And there, he looked on at Cynder, his expression showing gratitude for her efforts in his rescue from the strange abyss.

"I promise I'll be more careful."

He responded with a brief nod of the head before he focused his attention back towards the village once more, and then up at the cloud that surrounded it, and then the mountain range that stood to the north. But in spite of seeing what he was to fight for, he couldn't help but lower his head to the floor once more.

"Now that I think of it, I can't stop thinking of the appearance of Convexity around his lair", he questioned uneasily. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Hey, if anything helps, we all do", Sparx sympathised, patting one of his hands on top of Spyro's head. "If I was seeing you guys as a spectator, I'd instantly think I've seen happier people at cremations."

Sparx's remark caused the dragon to look back with a widened glare, ending up with the dragonfly responding with a sheepish smile before hovering straight towards Ignitus's direction. But just before he got there, Spyro's glare calmed down; maybe he might be telling the truth, he thought curiously.

Before any further puzzling could take place, Ignitus stepped forward and outstretched his wings, signalling that he was ready to give the group a ride. Just like with Red, they took similar positions upon him – Spyro and Cynder on opposing shoulders, Ango being held by his front paws, and Sparx riding on top of his head.

He brought himself into two wide strides with his back legs; as soon as he did, he leapt into the air and took off, leaving the group to soar through the sky once more. This time, it wasn't for a chance to go home – it was for the destiny of the Dragon Village and its civilisation.

* * *

The skies above the eastern plains faced just as much as a peaceful situation as those that were near the mountain side. Thin clouds soared past Ignitus as he flew further and further across towards his destination, the feeling trickling peacefully down his spine and tail as he flew further and further.

From up on top of him, Spyro and Cynder couldn't help but focus their attention straight towards the northern mountain range. If they had to go and aid the village to some degree, they knew that they had to return to that area and find whatever means possible to restore it.

As they were left in deep thought over the situation, a shadow was seen dashing among the rocks beneath them. The sight of a small green light was more than enough attention for Sparx to twitch an eye and try to lean forward, attempting to look closer at the shadow below.

All that was heard from the clearing below was a faint sound that resembled half a snicker and half a tree rustle. In addition, the green light started to grow brighter and brighter, until it started to glow from green to purple and back again, increasing in speed as time went on.

And then, the light was launched straight up into the sky in a fireball formation, leaving a dazzling trail of light behind it as if it was nothing more than a shooting rocket. The essence continued to burn more and more as it got further and further up in altitude.

And then, it stopped on a surface – right on the surface of Ignitus's right wing. That somehow caused him to flinch and tilt in his right direction, almost causing the riders on his back to fall off. As quick as he recovered himself, Spyro focused his attention towards his face, equally curious about the light that struck his wing.

"Ignitus!" Spyro cried out to him with concern for the red dragon's safety. "What's going on?"

"I felt something penetrate my wing!" he winced with pain. "I need time to refocus!"

Showing a facial expression filled with pain, Ignitus started to hover slowly towards the ground. In that time, Cynder looked over his shoulder and saw what happened – the purple energy bolt must have ended up singeing a part of the membrane on his right wing.

Yet in spite of the damage, the red dragon was able to land safely. And as soon as he landed, the others dismounted and looked eye to eye to the dispatcher of the vicious energy – the shadow that crept along the mountain slopes, its intent consumed by its obscured identity.

And finally, it brought itself into the light. The look of a familiar-looking staff and cloak instantly identified the creature as the Sorcerer; the sight of him standing there, as if the conflict in the lair never happened, was enough for the dragon to gasp lightly in shock of his presence.

"You again?" Spyro dropped his jaw at the sight of him. "I… I thought we killed you!"

"I have a bad feeling about this", Ango frowned with a shake of his arms. "And I mean it – these are genuine bad vibes that I'm sensing from the Sorcerer. What if what we fought back at his lair was a doppelganger?"

"You got that correct, kid", the Sorcerer scowled as he folded his arms. "I can't believe your purple dragon friend escaped the lair, AGAIN", he growled towards Spyro.

Quickly, he brought himself into a scowling stance, leering at the Sorcerer. "I'm glad to know that I found out the truth. You killed another purple dragon, didn't you?"

"There were TWO of you?"

With a wide blink from his glowing eyes inside the hood, he ended up starting to shake with shock as he somehow started to come to reality with the situation. This is why Spyro might have 'come down with amnesia', he thought almost sheepishly to himself.

Regardless of hearing the information, he retained his expression to its initial calm state, shaking his head gently and holding onto his sceptre with a tight grasp through his hands, being completely obscured by the long sleeves that graced his equally loose cloak.

"I must be seeing way past my old age, that's for sure", he remarked puzzlingly. "But nevertheless, I sense something inside you. It seems as if you want to save the realm from an eternity of darkness. But I'm not going to have that!"

"I'm not going to let you take over this realm either!" counter-remarked Spyro. "I've heard enough of your demonic schemes to boot, and I'm ready to take you down!"

"But without your Shadowstone, you're still powerless. What a pity."

Having made his remark, the Sorcerer cackled back, cracking his knuckles as he did so as he walked further and further away from the group, his cloak slowly trailing behind him among the dense mud against him – lucky enough not to spoil the fabric to any extent.

Maintaining a look that showed the prospect of success, he clutched tightly upon his staff and leered directly at the group, his grasp becoming tighter than an anxious cat's grasp upon a tree branch. And then he raised his hands in the air, almost creating a wind current around himself.

"You may have survived my doppelganger, but you won't survive the real thing!"

The self-created current allowed the loose rags around his arms and feet to breeze gently for several seconds, before finally becoming loose in the stale air again. And just like that, he smacked the lower end of the staff onto the ground at a force so powerful that it could pound the ground, though not quite as powerful enough to break the instrument.

And just like that, several shadows popped up from out of the ground, almost like a set of zombies. Except, they were nowhere near zombies; the pincers that were on their body and their obvious color scheme were more than enough to make Cynder take a step back at the sight of them.

"Those things!" she shouted, thinking back to her prior experience with the beasts at the mountains. "Those are the same scorpions we found at the summit!"

"They may look intimidating, but I am sure that we will prevail."

Ignitus showed an expression of determination as he lowered his eyes towards the scorpions. Their pincers gave off cracking sounds, and their eyes glowed with a vicious lemon yellow color, yet that wasn't enough to bring down his confidence one bit.

Calmly he started to approach them, his tail twitching gently from side to side as he came closer and closer. And just like that, he stopped and focused his attention towards Spyro and Cynder, using his tail to gesture them to come straight towards his direction.

"Spyro, you go for the left!" he exclaimed his commands. "Cynder, take the right!"

Both dragons nodded back, although Spyro was the one that showed the most confidence out of the two. Cynder looked back at him, concerned that they were about to instantly run into a losing battle, based on her previous experiences with these vicious and almost invincible monsters.

Regardless, they knew that they had to follow Ignitus's orders in spite of the consequences that could be brought over. And as if he was reading Cynder's mind, the Sorcerer responded with a stealthy smirk before he raised a hand, lifting himself high into the air, away from the fight.

"It's time we sent you to oblivion!"

And with that, he was left to hover his way on top of a nearby tall rock, with his feet positioned firmly upon the ground as soon as he got to the top. He then smirked viciously as he saw the creatures get closer towards the group, determined to make their assault.

Spyro made his charge straight towards a pair of the creatures in particular, and as soon as he was close enough, he breathed fire right in front of them with the intention of burning them. But… the creatures reacted with cackles, their body plating reflecting as if they were wearing steel armor.

"They're resistant to the fire!" he blinked shakily. "How am I supposed to combat them?"

"I found out the same!" replied Cynder as she got trampled over by one of the larger creatures.

As Cynder continued to wrestle with one of the other scorpions and Spyro tried to combat with means of any physical attacks he could pull off, Sparx looked on with deep concern on him. He thought back to what the battle scarred dragonfly said back at the village – if Dragon Kata techniques are all that is required to defeat them, he knew that he had to find a way to apply it.

"Ango, do you know of any Dragon Kata techniques?" he questioned him with a lightning tongue. "Surely you can help us!"

"I… I can't do it!"

Ango looked down below, his face showing panic at the question. All that Sparx could do was hover lower, bringing his eyes straight towards the kid as he did so. But in spite of his best efforts, the kid continued to show a pessimistic glare, with an obvious reason showing in his mind as well.

"I'm not a dragon, honestly! I can't pull the techniques off!"

All that Sparx could do was blink cautiously, thinking that learning a technique from Ango was completely out of the question. The least he could do was turn straight back to the scene of combat, watching the other dragons slowly get weakened by their practically invincible statuses.

"Stand back, everyone!" Ignitus called out to the other dragons. "I think I know another way to penetrate their defences!"

Ignitus's eyes started to glow to a brighter orange color, reflecting the images of five of the scorpions coming straight towards him. And out of the blue, he briefly stood upright, and summoned a giant ring of fire from his body – a fury attack that instantly turned them over.

But instead of taking any serious damage, they were left to steadily pick themselves up from there feet as if nothing ever happened to them. That attitude was enough for Ignitus to take several steps back, puzzling over other kinds of techniques to try and weaken them further.

"I can stun them, but I can't seem to exterminate them", he shook as he saw the creatures re-approach him.

"Hang on, Ignitus!" the purple dragon called out to him.

Quickly, Spyro made his run towards Ignitus's side, and just like that he managed to take position in front of the creatures that started to swarm his feet. As firm as he could, he brought his tail upon the ground and tried to trip them up with it, sweeping with a trail of dust being left behind.

But not even his best tactic was firm enough to drive away the monsters – some of which were pushed away, while others simply jumped out of the way or made a sidestep towards the tall rocks around them. All that was assumed by that point was that it would be a struggle to weaken them at all if anything.

"Spyro, look out!" Cynder called out to them all of a sudden. "There's a shadow up above!"

The shout was enough to cause both Spyro and Ignitus to look straight up into the sky, where they saw a black shadow make its way towards the scene ahead. Its shadow started to expand, showing it to have a pair of wings and a pair of horns – another identifiable dragon shadow.

"_TAKE THAT!!"_

A bright purple charge was sent from it, being launched straight towards the barrage of scorpions that were clawing away at Ignitus's feet. Upon the aura's contact with them, they instantly froze in place before evaporating into nothingness - not even leaving behind a trail of dust.

The shadow then managed to make its landing upon the ground, thudding onto the ground with a thunderous quake that managed to trip up more of the monsters all at once. Quickly, the group looked towards the figure behind the shadow; upon the sight of it, Cynder beamed right at the sight of him.

"Red!"

The Elder cackled with delight as he saw the monsters ahead. "Stand back and see what a dragon trained in Dragon Kata can pull off!"

Holding back his hands, he leered straight on at the surrounding scorpions, all approaching Red with such sinister looking eyes as they came closer and closer towards him. However, the least that the Dragon Elder could do was sneer back at them as time went on.

And then, he started to make his assault. He leapt straight over the first wave of monsters and charged straight towards a group of larger creatures, sliding on the ground with his right leg first. That knocked the large enemy straight over the cliff side, falling to the waters beneath.

Yet, Red's power didn't stop there. He quickly recovered, using his tail to trip up multiple enemies at a time before picking them up and throwing them into one another as easily as a monkey with a bag of fruit. Some of which were even tossed towards the Sorcerer's direction, almost tearing away his cloak in the process.

"What are you trying to do, you oversized monster?" he retaliated while trying to remove a scorpion from his face.

"Just taking care of business, that's all", Red sneered in return.

There, he then made a charge straight towards the Sorcerer, maintaining a sharp two-legged running stance and lowering his head down so that his horns were pointing straight forward, making it almost too easy to inflict a single poke of damage straight at the Sorcerer.

"This is for everything you did to the realms in the past six months!"

And then, Red made his contact. However, the Sorcerer vanished in time leaving him to zoom right past the emptiness that he left behind, running straight into a smaller pack of Scorpions. The Elder's never-stopping charge knocked one into the other like a set of dominoes, sending them straight into the wall one by one where they vanished with a black poof of smoke.

From the sidelines, the others were left to look on at awe as they saw Red overcome the scorpions at an amazing set of odds. Even Cynder looked as if she felt a ray of hope through what she witnessed – all to the point that she brought herself in a stance that made her ready to run.

"Cynder, what are you doing?" Spyro asked her, concerned over her next decision.

"Red's moves looked easy to pull off", she smiled with encouragement. "I want to give it a go!"

"No!" the purple dragon reacted by trying to bite onto her tail. "It could be too dangerous!"

It was already too late. By the time he could finish off his sentence, Spyro noticed Cynder making her run directly towards Red, her running stance resulting with deep foot prints that went among the ground. Each step she took allowed for a brief thunderous pulse on the ground that was immediately felt by any entity in the surrounding ten meter radius.

It wasn't long until she found herself eye to eye with the scorpions once more. Now having witnessed a potential technique to defeat them, she leapt into the air, performed a somersault, and brought herself hovering down so that her tail was over her head.

"I see you're catching on!" the Elder looked on at her with awe.

Red faced a smile as she saw Cynder striking the scorpion enemy with her tail, instantly pounding it to the ground. And then it remained limp and lifeless all before fading out with a black puff of smoke. Red then made a daring kick to knock another senseless, before going on to finish off another; after that, all the scorpions had been knocked out.

"Let's see if we can take care of the Sorcerer together!" the Elder remarked, twirling his staff like a majorette's baton.

He confidently looked towards Cynder, whom stood behind him while maintaining a bold expression. They both focused their attention towards one prime figure ahead – the Sorcerer, now starting to show signs of deep concern as he knew that his line of defense had been depleted.

Together, Red and Cynder made their dash towards him together at blistering speeds, yet before either of them could even make horn contact with him, he completely vanished into the air around him, leaving them both to storm straight past the area that he once stood.

"What's he doing?" she hastily questioned as she slid upon the ground. "He just won't stand still!"

"He just seems to vanish from one point to another!" the Elder shrugged back.

Red pointed to the other end of the area, where they indeed saw the Sorcerer standing firmly on the top of a nearby boulder, smirking while holding tightly onto his sceptre. The sight of him was more than enough for the pair to start making their dash towards him once again.

As if he almost stopped time, his head-first dash towards the boulder was more than enough for him to break the boulder apart upon contact, leaving the Sorcerer to struggle to gain balance as he tried to refocus himself. And in the midst of all that, a faint burning sensation was felt from his back – the sight of Cynder breathing fire was enough for him to retaliate and hold onto his cloak with his free hand.

"Get away from my cape!!"

With a bitter response, he clicked his fingers and vanished once again. His cackle was then heard a few seconds later, causing them both to turn towards the Sorcerer's direction, only this time he was positioned right on top of a rock too tall to break and too slippery to climb.

"You guys aren't strong enough to defeat me yet", he smirked victoriously. "Your attacks are way too pathetic to inflict even a stroke of damage. I'll be interested to know how far you get if you try to reach my lair again."

And so, he brought up his staff once again, allowing it to shimmer with a deep indigo aura around it. The lengthy amount of time for him to charge the light looked like a chance for Red to try and tackle him with any means that he possibly can, regardless of the circumstances of the rock.

He then flew straight up into the air, his claws showing the intent to do actual harm towards the Sorcerer. But before he could even cause as much as a swipe in front of him, a puff of black and indigo smoke soon showed in front of him, almost obscuring his view.

He then looked straight on ahead as the smoke started to clear. And there, he saw that the Sorcerer had completely vanished from his viewpoint, causing him to clutch his fists together as he slowly and bitterly made his hover back towards the ground once again.

"Rats!" he hurled a fist to his thighs. "He got away!"

"That may be unfortunate, but at least we gave it our best shot", nodded Cynder.

The black dragon made her walk towards Red, expressing her eyes straight at him. Though she knew that they both failed to catch the Sorcerer, she also knew that there was something that she had to mention to a bipedal dragon brave enough to help them out of an otherwise impossible situation.

"I want to thank you personally for coming out here to help us", she smiled gently. "Goodness knows how we could have taken down those scorpions."

"Don't worry", said Red. "I heard you from the village, and I thought you could need some help."

With his looks showing a little bit more confidence, he soon ended up making a soft landing upon the ground, creating shallow footprints upon doing so. He then focused his attention straight towards the scenery ahead, his expression looking more perplexed as time drew onwards.

"The fact remains that the Sorcerer is going to stop at nothing to get his ultimate goal", pondered the Elder. "But from what I saw of you and Spyro, you both have the potential to halt his ambitions."

He made his turn towards Spyro and Cynder, expressing a keen smile in return. The sight was enough for them both to look back at one another; in spite of struggling in front of the scorpions, they knew that if they could face a group of scorpions, they could do almost anything possible together.

"But we can't overcome him without the necessary requisites", the Elder frowned. "The pirate kid may be one of them, but there is more to it."

Ango's eyes instantly widened. "You mean… I could eventually fight more aggressively?"

"I think so; at least that's what I feel."

Red's remark soon caused Ango to jaw drop with excitement. He thought back about everything that he ever did for Spyro and Sparx as long as he was there; all he did was open barriers, while not being much of an assistant in battle outside from their first encounter with the Sorcerer.

Hearing that he might eventually find his own opportunity to fend for himself was something that made him maintain a joyful glance, anxious to wanting to see what he could do himself. Yet, he soon hid his own facial expression, thinking that it may be a while before he could witness what Red's words meant to him.

"But if we question the situation any further, the Sorcerer might get his way", Red scowled bitterly. "We should return to the village to think things over."

As steadily as possible, Red started to make his walk down the passageway that Spyro and the group initially walked up from, but before he could go any further than a few paces… he turned back, seeing Ignitus struggling to fly due the damage on his right wing.

"Are you okay, Ignitus?" Spyro asked him, concerned about the injury.

"I'll be fine. I'll walk my way back."

Looking upset that he couldn't help much at all, Ignitus was left to lower his head towards the ground, trying to regain his strength as he did so. That left only one option left – if there was ever any quick way back, there would need to be a different ride.

All together, Spyro, Cynder, Sparx and Ango made their way towards Red, whom approached them ready to have them mount him in their usual positions again. Yet the purple dragon showed deep concern as he looked back at Ignitus, worried for what might happen to him when left alone in the state that he is.

"Spyro, Ignitus will make it. I'm sure he's been worse", beamed Sparx with confidence as he looked at the purple dragon and then at the Elder. "Either way, there's no time like the present. It's time for take-off, Red!"

Red clutched his teeth together as he took a step back, ready to make his run upon the ground once more. And then he did so, bringing himself into a steady sprint. Though, before he could even take off, he lightly tripped up over a rock, causing him to send himself down a nearby slope briefly before escalating himself in the air.

However, he didn't realise that it would cause Cynder to struggle to maintain her grasp and just slip off him just before he reached the slope. With grave concern, she started to make her run across the clearing, her face showing worry as she was left further and further behind them.

"Wait!" Cynder exclaimed towards the group as soon as she recovered. "You forgot about me! You forgot a-"

Before she could run any further… a crunch was heard from the ground. She looked beneath her, and right there, she saw an upturned set of dirt on the ground. Quickly, she crouched down and started to dig away at it with her claws, curious over what was underneath.

And there, she found something shining within the dirt. That urged her to dig significantly faster with the will of seeing what was there. And finally, the item was completely uncovered and left to lie out along the cleaner rockier grounds to the left of her.

"What is this?" she blinked at the sight of it.

She looked towards the object with curiosity. And she found it to be some kind of amulet on a golden chain. In spite of it being buried for an unknown period of time, it still looked as if it was recently crafted; the sight of its endurance left her to show a curious glance right off the bat.

Looking towards the amulet itself, she managed to see the image of two dragons crested inside a circle. The top dragon was an orange one, obviously breathing fire. And the bottom one was a cyan-blue color, with ice coming straight out of its own mouth.

"Cynder, what is it that you found?" Ignitus asked her from behind.

"I think one of the scorpions dropped it. It looks… mystical."

Upon response, Ignitus made his walk towards Cynder, observing the object for himself. The sight of the amulet amazed the red dragon to the point that he too looked just as amazed as she was, firstly for how it survived for so long and secondly for how it could be beneficial for the village due to the first aforementioned reason.

The sight of it was more than enough to show enough determination on the black dragon to take it back to the village as quickly as possible. Yet she forgot one last thing – Ignitus's damaged wing would only slow down any means of trying to catch up if she chose to fly with him.

"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up!"

His plea left her to look up at him with widened eyes. Sure, it was hard to see her mentor taking a hit near this area of the field, but if it meant that he will be able to return safely, she knew that she could trust him regardless of the risks that were involved in it.

Picking up the amulet in her mouth and jumping towards the slope that lead straight towards the village, she once again faced a déjà vu situation as she ended up taking a hold upon the gravel and slid down on all fours, leaving behind a quadruple of long line marks from directly behind her - ready to get a temporary etching into the ground.

As soon as she reached the bottom, she ended up falling on her stomach, letting go of the amulet in the process, before she soon brought herself up. There, in the sky, she managed to take note of Red flying into the distance, presumably having Spyro, Sparx and Ango still in his possession up there.

"Spyro! Red! I have something to show you! Please wait!"

Holding feelings of anxiety, she picked up the amulet once again by placing it securely around her teeth, and started to make her dash towards the distance, destined to catch up towards the group ahead. Several shallow footprints were made on the ground as she ran faster and faster.

The amulet felt foreign to her, she thought to herself. Yet there was something about the markings on it that felt as if it could be useful in any shape or form. Even inside her mouth she felt its energy to be warm enough to almost turn her tongue into a savannah.

But instead of burning her mouth, she felt a pleasurable warm feeling that crept inside, almost as if she ended up consuming a warm cup of coffee. The feeling continued to persist as she ran, not quite painful but not quite natural to the touch either.

The Dragon Village soon came directly into her view. And there, she already saw Red come to landing right in the middle of the market square. Though she was urged to make a continued run towards him… she suddenly stopped, looking back with the intention of having Ignitus catch up with her.

The scene seemed strange enough as she heard its interiors from the gate that she initially came from. All that was heard was this strange silence, with only a wind current providing the only source of sound. And thus she then assumed that the village that she, Spyro and the others were fighting for had faced a drastic turn, one way or another.

_-end of chapter-_


	8. The Banish Technique

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

I see the tale's getting just as much a response as ever. Thanks for the usual support.

Not many questions to ask this time, though I'm pleased to see that the inclusion of Ignitus made someone happy. :D And yes, it's only a matter of time now before the fic is starting to approach the "final act" as I should call it.

So what we were left off with is that Spyro and the group found out that they failed to kill the Sorcerer upon the accidental arrival at his lair. On top of that, he didn't want to go home for the sake of the village. This means that he'll need to keep fighting but what kind of direction will be taken? And why is the Dragon Village deserted? We'll see once we get through the chapter.

Here's an interesting irk I should mention with this. This chapter and the next two were originally going to be two chapters instead of three. However, the original second chapter grew to be so huge it had to be cut in half thanks to the amount of ideas that were placed there. On top of that, for reasons relating more to suspense if anything, the original conclusion for this chapter was re-worked as the introduction in the next one. You'll only know what it is in a few days time. Ouch?

Either way, it's time we went on to this chapter at hand. I hope this gets through okay. Thanks for all commentary in advance.

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

It wasn't long since the encounter with the Sorcerer to the East of the Dragon Village. Having known that his power hasn't dwindled since the assault at his lair, Spyro, Sparx, Ango and Red still took the situation to heart and used the unexpected meeting as a foundation for deciding on their next move. 

Yet in spite of there already being a black cloud hanging above the village, there still seemed to be another; it could never be seen to any pair of eyes, but more like it could be sensed in the feelings of the people that lived there. It was one that hung on their shoulders like onions to the eyes.

Most of the personnel completely sealed themselves indoors, with most in particular already gathering inside the Professor's lab at one end of the settlement. And there, the mole faced a gathering from multiple personnel from all ends of the village, all of which having far from the most joyful expressions upon them.

He slightly tilted his spectacles and looked upon them one by one from left to right. Hunter, his nephew Blink, Bandit, Ember, Flame, Moneybags and Bianca were all there in the same room, each of them showing a series of grim and disappointed facial expressions.

The Professor somehow knew that they were all there for one sole reason. He witnessed a connection through himself and everyone else that was right under the roof – the obvious notion that everyone had a connection with Spyro, or rather, the incarnation that was left to decay at the mountain peaks.

"I can't believe he's gone, after everything he did for us", Hunter whispered in a corner, his head and his bow both hanging low.

"I can understand you, Hunter", sympathised the Professor. "You both were strong companions since our first meeting in Avalar."

With a sigh and a blink, the Professor went towards Hunter and outstretched a hand onto his shoulder. The cheetah responded with a light glance back, still feeling uncertain over putting the news aside. There, the elder mole released his grasp, knowing of almost exactly how he felt.

Even Ember started to feel increasingly heartbroken, to the point that a stream of tears were gracing her eyes, leaving her to eventually sob into Bandit's arms. The armadillo maintained a sympathetic look as he carefully embraced her and patted her on the back in an attempt to calm her down.

"There now, calm down, Ember. Just because he's gone doesn't mean you can't forget about the good times you managed to have with him", he spoke to her with a softer tone than the usual. "Please, be strong."

In spite of his words, she didn't calm down. Though, a few seconds later, she looked straight up towards his face, showing her blue eyes starting to look significantly more red thanks to her anguish. She gave off a brief sniff from her snout before she attempted to try and speak again.

"How can I?" she asked with her voice starting to croak from her grief. "He was one of the sweetest dragons that ever came here. He always gave me flowers and rings and stuff, and… and…"

The very mention of those aspects in her mind left her to start giving way to a weakness in her knee caps, leaving her to suddenly fall flat on the floor in strain. The sight of her slip left Bandit to crouch down further, still continuing to stroke her as calmly as possible.

"The Sorcerer had to take everything away", she moaned miserably. "It's not fair!"

Bandit, in spite of her decreasing sorrow, was left to shake his head awkwardly. "Firstly, those gifts might have been a figment of your imagination. Secondly, I say we don't assault the Sorcerer. I mean, I don't want to lose you just like we lost him."

Ember looked up at Bandit with her wide facial expression. She knew that the armadillo had a valid point – there was no use charging into his lair to avenge Spyro in the event that she would eventually fall herself. Sighing, she lowered her attention to his feet, his toes twitching gently over time.

A similar motion was shown for Moneybags, who ended up focusing his attention out of the window and towards the market bazaar that stood in the distance. The sight of it looking so empty seemed like a foreseeing of the near future if his unconfident expression was anything to go by.

"I'm sorry for having Red bring this news to you. If you want to throw javelins at him, feel free to do so."

"No, we're okay with Red", Hunter clarified his statement towards the bear. "We're actually happy that we managed to find out the truth about Spyro and his absence."

Moneybags raised an eye towards the cheetah's direction. Surely he wouldn't have naturally punched Red after talking with him, couldn't he? Or on second thoughts, it would be completely useless – such violence would never do anything to right any situation at all, no matter how bad it was.

"I just never thought it would turn out this way though", he sighed as he soon looked down.

"Come on, Hunter", Blink replied as he came closer towards him. "Just be strong for us."

Gently, Blink outstretched his hand and placed it upon the cheetah's shoulder. That caused him to look straight towards the young mole's eyes – looking just as hurt as the others, but with every passing moment he looked more prepared to move on to see what the future would bring.

A similar expression was even granted on Bianca across the other side of the room, standing there with her long feet tapping on the ground like a nickel on a table. Looking at everyone's faces one by one was enough for her to result in shifting away from the corner, walking towards them.

By then, most of the group ended up fixing their attention directly to her, even though their feelings showed that they did not want to. For all they knew, she could raise just as much as a sympathetic statement in the room just as much as one that anyone else gave or received.

"While I feel just as upset over this loss, we still need to feel strong for the present. This 'other' Spyro might be the key to defeating the Sorcerer and restoring this land to order once again."

"You may be right, but I'm worried that the Sorcerer will overpower everything", Blink responded, looking increasingly worried. "And then what will happen?"

Blink's concerns were seen equally spreading upon the other personnel around the lab. It can be possible that this different purple dragon could help put things right once again, and thus being able to restore truth and order towards the village that they live in.

But nothing would change the fact that they would never gain contact with the incarnation of Spyro that they knew ever again. That very train of thought remained hanging over their head like chains on a planet with a heavy amount of gravity, unable to be lifted from ground level by even the strongest entity that lived there.

"Did I come in at a bad time?"

The remark caused them all to look towards the entrance, where they saw a dragon shadow make its way through. Some of the smaller creatures somehow showed signs of hope on their eyes as they saw it coming closer and closer towards the main room itself.

And then, the figure showed itself into the light of the room itself. Standing right there was Spyro, yet as soon as they realised that it wasn't the one that they previously knew, faces were soon dropped and lowered towards the floor once again. That left the purple dragon to look back at them with confusion.

"Spyro, I'm glad you could make it!"

The voice lead him to look at the opposite end of the room, where he saw Bianca making her walk towards him with a significantly more optimistic facial expression than what the others could put together at that moment in time. As soon as she got to him, the purple dragon's puzzled stance was enough to open his mouth to ask a question.

"No offence, but what's with all the long faces?" he asked the rabbit.

"Yeah, like I said to you earlier", Sparx remarked as he came through the door, "I've seen happier people at cremations."

Sighing, Sparx folded his arms, looking at everyone, unknowing of the situation that they were brought into. But in spite of his reaction to the situation, nothing could be done to be able to lift any spirits at the current moment in time, at least as far as he managed to know.

The silence was soon broken by the sound of the front door creaking open once again, and another dragon shadow was shown in front of the trio. The figure then stepped inside, showing him to be Red, with Ango hanging onto his back like a child attached to its mother.

"Bianca, come with me", he offered by outstretching his hand.

She looked on at Red with a curious pair of eyes, and in spite of knowing that their ways of magic could be different, his eyes obviously showed that he is worth being listened to. With that in mind, she made her walk outside with Spyro and Sparx soon following suit.

As soon as they got outside, they started looking their way towards a more distant part of the village, far away from any grievers. Quickly, Red looked his way towards the same willow tree that stood as a hiding place – the area where Spyro and Sparx met with Blink for the first time.

Bianca and Red held hands as they made their way towards the tree, with Spyro and Sparx walking on opposing sides of them, equally curious over the discussion in question. And it wasn't long until they would be able to hear about the village's current situation.

* * *

Five minutes passed after they settled under some of the higher branches of the willow and listened to Red's explanation on the reaction of the entire village right after he left Spyro and his companions to locate what would eventually be the vortex that led back to the Dragon Temple.

They learnt that not long after he managed to make his mark upon the village, one by one, the villagers struggled to take in the shock of the reality that happened. Chaos ensued across the immediate area, and then, the village soon fell into silence - just like a ghost town.

The emptiness was shown upon the entire bazaar ahead. The only creatures that never seemed to care less were the soldiers that Spyro and Sparx encountered upon their entrance there – an enemy force that have plagued the village with its vile hunting instincts.

"Now I understand", Ango recapped the statements provided from the Elder's mouth. "Red managed to spread the news about what we found on the mountainside."

"This makes sense, and I can understand their grief just as equally", Spyro nodded with an assuring glare.

"Yes, Red made a very brave decision on his part."

Bianca looked on at Red with a reassuring glance, taking a hold onto his back as she ended up doing so. The Dragon Elder would have liked to smile back, but the reality of the reactions of everyone was enough for him to just stand in place, almost hypnotised by the sight of the emptiness around the village streets.

"And now that the Spyro we knew may never come back, I'm starting to doubt we could stand a chance to defeat the Sorcerer", Bianca showed her concerns, thinking about the reactions of her peers.

"I'm equally as concerned", Red muttered towards her softly. "I've witnessed the Sorcerer's power, and even with the finisher to overcome him, I'm concerned it might not be enough."

Spyro quickly blinked in Red's direction. What is this stated "finisher" move that was brought up? Was that the same kind of technique that Ango brought up as well in their first encounter with him? And if so, how was it supposed to cooperate with the Shadowstone alongside it?

The questions were enough to puzzle over him. But the answers were all he needed if he ever had to save the village on his own accord. Taking a look down towards the ground, the sign of the dry gravel underneath his feet was enough to see that life was withering away, part of it by the Sorcerer, and part of it by its own accord.

Looking up towards the sky he saw it getting darker and darker, now plagiarising the entire area with a dull shade of indigo. The hopeless atmosphere was more than enough to give him the urge to locate whatever he can to defeat the Sorcerer… but where to start?

"Over here!"

The familiar voice was enough for Spyro to jump up, startled. "Cynder? Ignitus?"

Everyone looked straight towards the end of the alley, where a series of footsteps were heard – fast paced running steps. A shadow was seen making its run straight towards the scene, coming closer and closer, clashing the ground with a gentle clopping sound among it.

And around the corner, there came Cynder, with Ignitus steadily following her from behind. She made her stop directly in front of the group, skidding to a halt and reclaiming her breath as soon as she stopped. Not even the amulet inside her mouth was enough to block her breathing as she regained her composure.

"What's that you've got in your mouth?" enquired Spyro as he saw the amulet.

The black dragon's eyes widened as she fixed her eyes down towards her snout. And there she witnessed the amulet in her mouth and its chain hanging down to the ground, like a pendulum in a grandfather clock. She knew that now was the time to unearth her findings.

Calmly, she dropped the amulet onto the floor, revealing the fire and ice dragon pattern on its front. Spyro's focus on it led him to think back to the same fire and ice dragon panel he saw at the Sorcerer's lair, and by that, he knew the exact identity of this sacred treasure.

"I can't believe it!" Bianca blinked at its familiar markings as she picked it up. "That's… that's…"

"That's the Shadowstone!"

Red's comment suddenly left him to reach out for the amulet and suddenly snatch it straight from Bianca's hand, his eyes widening with wonder as soon as he attempted to match his eyes with it. The distinguishable pattern of the fire and ice dragons easily showed its identity right from the word go.

And having been able to sense the pattern, he gave off a wide smile as he took a faint clutch towards it, as if he faced a treasure that had been lost for a very long time. His actions left Bianca to look back at him with an understanding yet disturbed facial expression in return.

He soon closed one of his eyes, and fixed the other onto the amulet, which settled with a gentle glow that shone around it. As if he felt a strange and fuzzy feeling inside him, his face soon cracked itself into a smile, remaining that way as he raised his jaw to address the others.

"Spyro – I mean…" Red suddenly burst into an abrupt cough. "The Spyro I knew wore this to transport back and forth between the Shadow Realms and deflect the Sorcerer's energy."

"I know", the purple dragon nodded almost impatiently. "I've heard about that stone from Ango. But how are we supposed to use it now?"

"This may be what is needed for defense from the harshest of his powers", the Elder began to clarify. "It also feels slightly weakened since leaving its original owner, but I'm sure with a new owner, you will gain power behind comprehension required to defeat this monster."

Red's words rushed around the area with a stream of encouragement, yet for Spyro he still looked unconvinced. All he could do was take a closer look at the stone for itself – just a natural amulet that didn't give much of a meaning on how it would handle shadow magic. Blinking cautiously, he looked back at Cynder, Sparx, Ango and Ignitus, as if to ask what would happen next.

"Go on, Spyro", smiled Ignitus. "If fate requires you to don the stone, feel free to wear it."

Taking Ignitus's words to heart, Spyro was left to turn back towards Bianca and Red, both of which showing confident glances back. His eyes were then brought to the Shadowstone, reflecting almost eerily in the darkened skies above, yet radiating with what felt like a ray of hope.

He then took a deep breath and made his walk towards Red, whom crouched down and placed the chain and amulet around his neck. As soon as it was secure, he stood back up, leaving the purple dragon to look at the stone from its new angle, blinking with a shaky experience as if… nothing really happened.

Spyro looked down at the amulet, still looking confused. "I don't feel any different. Are you sure this is the right stone?"

"Red's eyes look very convincing", blinked Bianca. "I'm pretty sure he hasn't been much of a liar since his return to the dojo."

True to their word, Red showed a glance filled with determination. While they weren't as painfully obvious as Ango's glances of innocence, they still showed enough peace to show that he can be trusted – a look that soon settled down the other personnel around him.

"Even with that in mind, I still need to make sure you know the final technique required to eliminate the last of his power", he twitched his mouth confidently. "It's a hidden Dragon Kata technique that I would like to call the 'Banish Technique'."

The very mention of its name was enough for Spyro to step forward, increasing his curiosity significantly. "You mean I could use it to make him disappear?"

"Not exactly. It will be able to reverse the effects of his magic. If it's strong enough, it could even reverse the effects taken hold in the Dragon Realms as well."

The dragons looked on at Red, curious over his hypothesis. How can a technique be so powerful that it could reverse everything that the Sorcerer ever did to the place – all the suffering caused by whatever intent that has resided in the interiors of his own mind?

But in spite of the large scale of it, both Spyro and Cynder continued to look on at Red, looking more hopeful that that could be a working power that would make everything perfect in the end. The black dragon herself ended up showing more enthusiasm, looking increasingly intrigued as she stepped closer towards the Elder.

"You know, that sounds promising", she looked back with an overjoyed glance. "I'm sure we'll be able to work with that. But how do we pull the trick off?"

Red clicked his fingers gently before he informed both dragons of the technique. "Just touch the possessor of the stone and send both front legs forward as if you are pushing something. That's all it takes. The magic of the Shadowstone can be conducted through any living being."

Smiling gently, Red took a hold of his staff and twirled it gently like a conductor's baton. In the meantime, Spyro brought his attention straight back towards the Shadowstone and its position around his neck. The metal touching his stomach felt cold, yet that wasn't all he felt.

A warm surge suddenly started to fill his body – one being able to provide enough stimulation to refresh him; a power surge as refreshing as several hundred cold showers. Cautious to feel his feelings, Cynder linked one of her legs around one of Spyro's, and felt the warmth channelling through her body as well.

It felt like the beginning of life, all over again.

"Thank you Red", Spyro responded with a warm tone in his voice. "I'm sure I have what it takes to defeat the Sorcerer!"

"Yes, but be careful", frowned Ignitus. "Your maximum power hasn't even been restored yet in spite of these additions."

"I know, but there's no time like the present. If I wait any longer, then the whole Realm will be under darkness! I'm not letting that happen."

Clutching his claws tightly together, Spyro brought his focus straight towards the mountain peaks ahead of him. They stood up in front of him like an overlook of destiny, with the peaks giving off a faint glow that were almost reminiscent of the lights of the North Pole.

Calmly, he took a step towards it, with his eyes focusing closer towards the structure. A goal was set straight into his mind – to harness the power of the Shadowstone, return to the Sorcerer's lair, and save the village from becoming a cursed and lifeless expense.

The thought remained fixed in his mind as he turned back to everyone and looked at them one by one. Sparx and Ango were with him every step of the way. Cynder and Ignitus, two others that he knew from the temple, were there to stand by his side when he needed them the most. And Bianca and Red, arguably the two most hopeful personnel in the village, still showed a set of wishful glances back at the dragon as he looked on at them, ready to set off on his journey.

"Are you with me?" Spyro asked as he brought his attention to Sparx and Ango.

The kid nodded with his hands placed together as if he was performing a prayer. "I'm ready to grant my input."

"Me too", smiled Cynder as she walked next to him. "All for one!"

"And one directly in the stomach!" Sparx punched the air as he reached the purple dragon's head.

Confidently, all three of them went straight towards his side, with Ango and Cynder standing on opposite sides of the dragon and Sparx making his way directly above his head, each of them given a boost of confidence that made them feel ready to tackle the situation ahead.

Looking behind, they were left to meet their eyes with those of Red, Bianca and Ignitus. The guardian's expression showed that the wing damage would leave him unable to join them; those on the others showed that they had to remain in the village for the sake of its own strength.

Having to accept their thoughts, Spyro turned his head straight back towards the mountain, and then towards the northern exit out of the village. And just like that, he made a careful and steady run straight ahead, with the others following him in a straight line.

Ignitus raised his head into the air, smiling gently. "May the ancestors look after you. May they look after us all."

Ignitus's statement echoed across the village, reflecting back upon the hearing range of Spyro upon the others like a brilliant shard of sunlight. To him and Sparx, it was recognised as the same remark made when he initially went to Convexity to combat Cynder.

And now, they were ready to embark on another equally powerful situation, ready to take whatever moral skills they learnt from that venture and the current one and apply them into saving the village from the growing wrath of the Sorcerer and his gruelling power.

Together, they all went straight through the exit and right ahead to the plains that surrounded the perimeter. The trace of red weeds there were still as disturbing as ever, yet now to the point that they could almost slow them down; coupled with the dense rocks, it felt as if they were once again heading into clear and sudden danger.

Yet they all knew that it was all for the better cause. Aside from Bianca and Red, every single civilian had thrown away themselves into defeat. And for their case, it felt as if the black cloud that hung above them was growing significantly bigger in size.

But in spite of seeing that event for themselves, they knew that they had to move on regardless of their attitudes. Maybe the incarnation of Spyro as they knew it wasn't able to stand up to this danger at all, but maybe _this_ one – the one that appeared out of nowhere – can help them out, whether it was his destiny or not.

* * *

The route back up the mountain was just as tough to climb as the previous two ventures, as reflected in the eyes of Sparx and Ango. The former ended up once again struggling to adapt to the sudden changes of altitude and the latter started to show nerves as he went further and further up, his hands shaking slightly with every rock he clung onto.

They reached the junction where they were at to combat Bandit, Ember and Flame a while beforehand, and at the sight of it they knew that they were moments away from coming face to face with the Sorcerer once again, though this time it was for the final destiny of the village.

They went up the passageway that they took through the first gateway that he unlocked, but before anything else could be done, the gateway-like energy was shown in front of them again, this time blocking their way through the narrow canyon-like passageway like a precautionary barricade.

"Open sesame!" Ango cried as he outstretched his arms.

Confidently, the kid went towards the gateway and slipped his hands inside them as if he was about to don handcuffs. And just like the previous attempts to open portals like that, his hands glowed with a strange eerie white color all around them, giving him the feeling of losing his own hands to sedation.

Moments later, the flash expanded further, and then it got to the point that it was bright enough to engulf the entire area and almost blind everyone that was around him. Before it could take much of a serious effect, the lighting around in the area soon restored itself to its natural order.

And just like that, the gateway had gone. The passageway through to the lair was shown to be clear once again, with the only trace of purple being a distant glow from further up the passageway, faintly illuminating a nearby leafless tree positioned directly ahead of them.

"It's time!" beamed Spyro. "The Sorcerer will be sorry when he sees us again."

Cynder responded with a devious chuckle. "We're all for it!"

And so they all continued to make their run straight up the passageway, up towards the other side of the clearing. Their speed gradually increased over time; though they knew what was going to be at the other side, a set of tension was shown starting to contract over their body as they were left unknowing of exactly what would happen.

Finally they reached the end of the clearing, and towards the same crumbled platform that marked the edge of the mountainside. The sight of the lilac void and the lair standing in the distance was enough for them to instantly feel a trace of fear at the sight of the location.

"This looks like it", Spyro began confirming the location. "This is the strange Convexity area again!"

"Don't worry about what it looks like", Cynder glanced back at him. "All it can tell us at this state is if he has some connection with the Dark Master, not what our destiny is."

Cynder looked straight on at Spyro with a secure facial expression, knowing that they were to make their way towards a different kind of setup than what can be normally anticipated. This may not be to see their final destiny, but rather to see what kind of connection it could have with the purple dragon's entrance to the area.

But regardless, the steep drop that led straight down towards the ground was more than enough to show signs of fear when trying to figure out a way to get straight back towards the same area where they fought the Sorcerer for the first time. However… a crack was heard to his right, causing his expression to suddenly perk up at the sight of it.

He quickly looked to the right and saw a furred tail vanish down the cliff. "Ango, wait!"

It was easily too late for Ango to stop by then. He had already jumped straight down towards the abyss, floating down with his arms and legs outstretched and his clothes and fur flapping in the air resistance that was grafted from directly underneath his body.

All that the others could do was follow suit and try to catch up towards the kid, embracing whatever kind of perils that would wait from down below. Luckily for them, a bridge of light was shown right underneath their feet, leaving them to land comfortably upon it and look ahead at the situation ahead – exactly the same situation as shown when they first came there.

"Not the rising rocks again!" gasped Spyro as he saw the burning boulders rising from beneath once again. "I don't want to face another concussion to the head."

"Then DON'T, Spyro!" Sparx brashly shouted from his right. "For the love of God, it's not rocket science!"

And so, Sparx pointed his arm forward, before taking a hold upon Spyro's horns once more. And there, all four of them made their dash along the bridge of light again, once again dodging any falling rocks randomly heading straight towards their direction, trying to damage them.

At one instance, they made a leap from one end of the light bridge to a hexagonal platform. However, aside from the way they got on, they were unable to find a way to keep getting closer towards the gateway to the Sorcerer's lair… until a strange shadow suddenly crept above Sparx.

"Yeeeargh!" he screamed as he looked straight up at the shadow's bearer.

His scream gave everyone clear attention as they looked up towards the sky. And there, they saw a strange white flash, coming faster and faster towards them. Finally it showed itself as clear as possible – the sight of what looked like a round marble rock, coming down.

A strong electric pulse was enough to paralyse just about anyone that would touch it, yet in spite of its intimidating status, Cynder was ready to take action. Quickly she rushed towards Sparx, claimed him in her mouth and made a leap towards the lair in the distance, curiosity arising on how whey would land and if they would land.

"Nice save, ma'am", he said with a tone of gratitude as well as wonder.

"I'm only doing my job, little one", she blurrily remarked while continuing to hold onto him with her mouth.

Before she could even fall, she opened her wings and brought herself into a glide across the wide open space. And not before long, she ended up finding a set of stairs cast off into the distance, leaving her to bring her feet ready to make a secure landing towards them.

As soon as she landed, she looked back, and there she saw Spyro following suit with Ango riding on his back. As soon as they landed as well, they looked on ahead, straight towards the gateway directly at the top of the stairway, standing almost untouched.

"There's the door!" the kid pointed at it, almost geared to see its interiors. "It's time we showed him what we're made of!"

And so, they knew that their time had come to tackle the situation. Cynder quickly released her grasp on Sparx, and with Spyro right next to her, they made their way straight towards the door themselves, long shadows being cast as they went closer towards it.

Almost as if he wasn't quite alert enough to notice them in their ascent, Ango made his chase up there in a similar motion, with Sparx hovering from right behind him. In spite of them being meters away from the dragons, they knew that it wouldn't be long until they got inside and faced what there was on offer.

Whether it would be the Sorcerer himself standing in the next hallway or a completely different surprise would be of no concern until they went deeper and deeper inside the gigantic marble structures. What was of concern was being able to traverse this area, locate their opponent regardless, restore order and escape from the area alive.

* * *

The passageway inside was shown to be just as bright yet eerie as they first approached it. The marble walls glistened gently with an almost unearthly reflection cast upon them, almost as if they were made out of a rare form of precious metallic alloy.

Even the floors and ceiling matched a similar gesture, which showed the groups' reflections cleanly as they went further and further along it, with no trace of a single shadow cast anywhere – nothing but unearthly bright colors portrayed at the most randomised moments.

The room itself stood for several stories high, where one figure in particular ended up standing on a balcony that hung over a large double door. A familiar staff ended up being held upon its grasp, leaving there to be almost no guess upon the creature's identity.

"You've just ran into another trap, you foolish creatures", boomed the Sorcerer's voice. "Are you ready to face your worst nightmare?"

Calmly, the Sorcerer made its way towards the edge of the balcony, looking over at the large door. The sight of the stone relics that ended up resting upon the door were enough for him to cackle with a set of delight, even if he knew that his time would be coming.

And just like that, he clapped his staff firmly upon the ground; a powerful bolt of thunder echoed across the room, making its way straight in front of Spyro's head and causing a smoked dent upon the floor beneath. This left him to make a split-second reaction by stepping back.

The entire group made its stop, looking straight on at the crack that then formed upon the ground. But unlucky for them, they saw it starting to expand in size, with the floor starting to become more sensitive to walk on over time and assumingly contracting the curse launched to it.

"I will never give in that easy to you. This realm will remain under an order of darkness, whether you like it or not!"

Quickly, he raised his staff into the air, allowing for a dark set of lightning to spark among it. And then it touched the crack, making it grow increasingly wider, soon advancing to the point that the entire passageway felt as if it was no longer traversable.

Finally, a set of holes were formed alongside the cracks. And with that, the floor completely ruptured below. Before the group were able to make their way straight towards the steps that took them towards the door, they were left to fall their way with the crumbling ground.

All that they were able to hear clearly was the sound of the Sorcerer's maniacal laughs as they went deeper and deeper into the pit that was beneath them. And finally, they landed cold and hard upon the floor, with all sights of any light sources completely vanishing from their viewpoint.

* * *

The darkness continued to surround the group, even through their recovery after the fall. The rubble that crumbled with them were felt eerily on their feet, as if they were giving in the indication that they were fighting their way through a ruin that appeared out of nowhere.

Soon after they stood up one by one, they were soon rejoined by Sparx, whom hovered his way down as if nothing ever happened to him, thus acting as a short range light upon arrival. The rocks were much clearly seen, as was a small yet clearly identifiable corridor that led their way straight through this foreboding basement level.

Carefully, they made their walk through this dark passageway, hoping to find a way out. It almost looked as if it was going to last forever, yet that was until something soon started to shine like a spotlight inside Ango's eyes. Quickly he jumped up in his place and faced the others, shaking gently.

"We shouldn't give up now. The Sorcerer's going to pay for what he's done!"

In a complete change of personality, Ango made his rush towards the end of the room, where a door with curved markings upon it can only just be seen. In spite of his over-arrogance, all that the others could do were to follow him, even if it did mean having to rush into another trap.

And just like that, they were. Several beings emerged from the floors and walls, each of which arriving in a puff of black smoke. The similar dark colors around them and sharp pincers that graced their bodies were enough for them to react at the familiar enemy type with feelings that almost resembled irritation.

"Scorpions, now?" Spyro reacted with an expression of annoyance.

"Remember what Red taught us!" Cynder looked on at him more confidently. "Let's see what we can make of this!"

Spyro looked back at Cynder and gave off a devious nod straight back at her. Right there, they locked their inner front legs with each other's and looked eye to eye at the rampaging scorpions that ran their very way directly towards the two young dragons.

The scorpions then charged, leaving them barely enough room to try and embrace their attacks. And just like that, it looked as if their claws were enough to instantly grab onto their faces in a matter of seconds, ready to tear them apart in an instant massacre.

However, that never happened. Instead, a bright white aura surrounded both dragons, which instantly reflected the assaulting scorpions away from them. Those that fell could only look up and see exactly what kind of magic they would end up pulling off as a result.

And just like that it was shown. Both dragons pushed their outer front legs together; an arch of white light was shown right in front of them, sent straight towards the remaining scorpions around them. It instantly sent them flying directly across the area, leaving them to land with their backs against the marble walls with bone crunches included.

As soon as they slid down, they were left to vanish in a black puff of smoke one by one, the sight of the onslaught causing the others to flee into the background. As they saw the creatures vanish, expressions of success were shown upon the dragons' faces. They now know that if they could tackle an onslaught of scorpions, they would be more than ready to tackle the Sorcerer as well.

"Woo!" Sparx instantly applauded the dragons' teamwork. "You two need to become a romantic couple after that!"

Cynder's natural reaction to the comment was a slash across his chest. "Not now, Sparx. We've got a realm to save first and foremost!"

Growling with a face showing half-determination and half-irritation, Cynder released her grip from Spyro and stormed through the opened doors first, her footsteps ringing among the ambience the hall granted. That left Sparx to show a bamboozled look back at her, rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands in the process.

"Hey, excuuuuuse me princess", he wittingly replied, shrugging with his free arm.

Blinking gently, he was left to just hover gently towards the room ahead, looking increasingly curious over Cynder's anxiety to see what was ahead. And just as steadily as he got through, Spyro and Ango made their pursuit, both of them equally as focused to see what was inside.

And there, they saw a strange structure – a twisting staircase that lead straight towards a higher part of the lair. By that time, Cynder was already halfway up there, using her horns to knock down any incoming scorpions on the way up there, leaving them to fall to their doom and disappear in black smoke.

At the sight of her enthusiasm, the others started to make their way towards the stairs, equally rushing their way up there, ready to see what was right at the end of it all. The eerie lighting was enough to send shivers down their spine in spite of them feeling increasingly warmer further up the top of the stairwell.

In the meantime, the Sorcerer ended up showing directly in front of Cynder's path, standing a good 40 steps away from her at the time. Its trail of smoke from behind was enough for her to focus and charge her way directly towards the blurred figure behind it.

"_Your time for defeat is nigh."_

It raised a pair of ghostly hands towards her, but before it could even do anything, it completely vanished into thin air, leaving her to suddenly jump straight through it. Looking slightly distressed, she was left to just keep running further and further up the stairs, to the doorway at the top.

Spyro continued to make his run as well, being lucky enough to use his horns to knock over any scorpion creatures as well. Yet in spite of his enthusiasm, one of which – a smaller one – got rough enough to climb onto his face and tried to block his field of view.

Quickly he performed a side roll and made a continuing dash further up the stairs, with the scorpion by then having fallen off his face and ended up clinging onto his horns like a falling bandana. And it was there that Sparx ended up taking the time to end up bringing back his arm as he hovered backwards, poking it in the eye as he did so.

And then, it released its grasp, skimming the bandana above Ango's head as it fell further and further down the stairs. Having witnessed that spectacle, the least they could do was keep charging, knock any more scorpions out of the way and continue their plight to the top.

And finally they did, and right there they found that the stairs united with the long corridor of light that extended from the door with the runes from earlier, right into the Sorcerer's lair. A cackle of energy was heard from inside – potentially the sound of him, victorious from his vanishing trick.

There was no turning back. But even if there was, they were ready to make their assault.

-end of chapter-


	9. The Second Collision

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

We have a quiet response but I'm glad there was something that came through with that. Thanks for the support!

I see how Sparx's random commentary for Spyro and Cynder's joint Banish work got a good kick out of you all, and that was cool. I see it as a neat light moment to add into this moodier chapter than the usual – something to heighten spirits before we get a deadly reunion with the Sorcerer.

What I seemed surprised with was that no one pointed out the reference to the Legend of Zelda TV show, most notably Link's catchphrase for that. Then again, if I'm the only person at that knew it existed, it goes to show that my head lives in the 90s, lol.

And so here we are. Like I said in the previous chapter, this one was so big I had to cut it into half and redo the original ending for the previous as an intro to this one. I have to tell you though, this scene was actually pretty fun to write, especially when it comes to all the details and whatnot during many of the actions around here.

I might as well give up on a writer's blurb for now; the moral of the day is, never try and write one at 1 in the morning. Either way, I hope this chapter goes down well. Thanks for your time and patience so far.

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

The Sorcerer's lair was shown to be untouched since the last encounter. Various burn marks were shown on the ground, along with the ceiling being nothing more than a roof panel that opened up into space above and the walls looking equally damaged thanks to the array of attacks that were there.

The feel of the area was enough to send chills down the spines of Spyro, Sparx and Ango, all three of them having been their previously, unexpectedly having to combat the Sorcerer before. Though this time, they were there, with Cynder by their side as well – now with a purpose defined in their mind; a purpose to change the world as they knew it.

"Way to go, boss", Sparx sternly remarked as he went slightly further ahead from the others. "Now where's that sorcerer you have been complaining about?"

Sparx looked ahead with a light eye twitch, curious over the exact location of the Sorcerer. He soon scouted ahead on his own accord, but just as quickly, a puff of black smoke erupted in front of him – the sight of which being enough for him to make his heart skip a beat, making him hover back towards his companions. And there the figure formed – their target figure, the Sorcerer.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Spyro. We meet once again, in the same place where we fought bravely, TWICE."

"I know what you did, and you know that I know what you did", Spyro leered back, his wings twitching more tensely than the usual. "You killed another purple dragon, right here! And then I came in here to attack you unknowing of your true intensions."

The remark wasn't quite enough for the Sorcerer to suddenly change expressions. He knew that that remark was something heard before, along the pathway to the vortex east of the village. Calmly, he just looked on at the dragon, tapping his feet in a gentle pacing rhythm.

"You know way too much."

Clutching ever so tighter upon his staff, he made a pace towards the left of the area, leaving his long cloak to trail behind like a carpet being rolled out for royalty to walk across. It wasn't long until after that that he soon came to a stop, refocusing his vision upon Spyro's chest, meeting his eyes with the emblem that graced his neck.

"Still, I see you now don the Shadowstone", he frowned, shaking his head, "How pathetic of it for you to know that its magical potential hasn't been restored since its last battle."

Spyro's eyes started to tremble in place. "What do you mean?"

The Sorcerer responded with a sinister laugh, one that mixed both cruelty as well as traces of irony. All that resulted with was leaving the purple dragon to look directly back at him, his eyes getting tenser and his expression showing further irritation by the minute.

"You can't rely on that worthless tool alone to defeat me!" the Sorcerer taunted back towards him viciously. "My magic has risen beyond all comprehension, and there's no way you can use it to take me down in one hit, you purple beast!"

With a devious smile, he brought his hands together, causing a sudden purple mist to surround him. His confidence was enough for Spyro's muscles to tighten drastically and his blood to almost boil in place, his teeth forming a dynamic growl showing right upon his face.

"Spyro, calm down", Cynder supported him, stepping towards him from his right hand side. "He's probably just bluffing. He might be saying it to get our guard down."

"Maybe you're right", the purple dragon started, looking increasingly annoyed. "But what if he's telling the truth?"

Almost as if he needed to hit something back, he was just about to bring up one of his front legs to strike Cynder's back, but before he could even strike her… he soon repented, placing the foot back onto the ground and refocusing his attention towards his opponent, his expression still showing no signs of calming down any time soon.

"There's only one way to find out about all this!" the Sorcerer boomed viciously. "It's time I launch the technique that I used to claim the life of the other Spyro – the one the Dragon Realms residents knew."

Just like that, the Sorcerer clapped his hands together, and all of a sudden the room was brought straight into an envelope of darkness with only the stars from the ceiling and its nearby windows lighting the area. A thunderous black cackle was shown between his hands, focusing into a ball that felt just as warm as the boulders rising outside.

"Die, NOW!"

Cackling, the ball was sent straight into the air, and as it did that, it surrounded itself with an eerie cackle of lilac lightning around it, making it almost impossible to hit back physically. Both dragons looked on at it, knowing that the ball itself would be difficult to counter.

Spyro, with his jaw almost dropping at the sight of the object, quickly shifted his eyes to his accomplice. "Cynder, we need to banish this, now!"

Cynder looked back at Spyro and confidently smiled back, and then once again they locked their front paws together and waited for the ball to make its arrival straight towards them. And just as soon as they were prepared, the ball began to move at a blistering speed towards the pair.

The action however left Sparx's face to start turning white once again. "I can't watch this! Ango, cover me!"

Shaking on the spot, Sparx covered his face behind Ango's back, leaving him to start trembling at the coming monstrosity that would come nearby. As far as he would know, he would never see the results that would end up coming as a result from the clash between the dragons and the ball.

As soon as it was about to touch them both, they both raised their opposing paws, summoning the same white light that countered the scorpions previously. Yet, in spite of that, the ball held back an incredible resistance, leaving behind a rapid trail of white and pink sparks in the air.

The sparks soon become too bright for Spyro to see properly, leaving him having to channel his body with his sight being sealed closed by his eyelids as they were a pair of umbrellas trying to shield him from a heavy rainstorm. He was unable to notice Cynder's reaction, yet he assumed that she would end up doing the same thing.

And then, the white light gave out a radiating glow, completely illuminating the entire surrounding. This glare was enough to blind just about every figure in the area for several seconds, unable to see beyond this powerful burning flare. And then, it slowly faded, with Ango showing curiosity as he tried to see through it.

"What…" the kid winced, closing his eyes amidst the burning light. "What happened?"

"Look!" shrieked Sparx as he looked clearly through it.

The light then faded out bit by bit. There, they both noted that the ball that attempted to take Spyro and Cynder had completely vanished into nothing. All that remained of it was a hole in a nearby wall, crumbling with smoke coming out of it. The silence soon left Spyro to open his eyes and look on towards it for himself, his expression showing amazement at the glance of it.

"The magic…" he then gasped with surprise. "I can't believe it's been deflected!"

Beaming with happiness he made his way towards the crevice for himself, observing the ruins for himself. All that remained of its outer surface was a set of crumbling rubble that piled up like dust upon the ground, the sight of which being one that left him to show fear yet excitement at the same time.

"Cynder, we made a great team! If we can do that, we can do anything!"

Beaming gently, he continued to focus towards the extent of the damage, expecting to hear her make a response from behind. But yet… there was no response granted at all. His eyes left him to show an empty glance, concerned over the reasoning for her lack of response.

"Cy… Cynder?"

He looked to the left, and there he saw Sparx and Ango standing there, worried for the situation. And then he looked to the right – the very side that Cynder stood at. And there she was, stretched out across the floor, her body looking almost limp aside from her head.

"Not bad channelling, Spyro", she remarked in a weak, wheezy voice tone. "We tried really hard to work on that, but…"

She soon ran out of breath, leaving her to wheeze on the spot. The sight of her weakness was more than enough for Spyro to make her way towards her from the other side, crouching down to her level, looking closer towards her numb body as well as several deep scratches etched right onto it.

"That magic", she struggled to inhale, her voice croaking in the process. "It completely overwhelmed me. I think… I think the Sorcerer claimed me."

"No, don't say that", Spyro shook his head as he focused closer towards her. "You're still here. You might be weakened, but I'm sure you can pull through."

"I can't."

Cynder's whisper was enough to send shivers down the purple dragon's spine. Why can't she pull through, he questioned nervously to himself. It was bad enough to see her struggle to talk, but to see her accept the damage was another worrying thought that started to plague his mind.

"The intensity of the dark magic had to completely ripple through my body", she barely got the words out, trying to speak. "I… I can barely stand up… I can barely breathe… my heart… my heart…"

"Cynder, just hold on", Spyro commanded with determination, clutching onto her body with his claws. "I'll take you to safety!"

"I'm sorry, but not even that can happen."

Once again, her statement was enough to make him freeze in his tracks. Yet in his heart, he knew that he would do anything to take her away from the lair and escort her straight back towards the Dragon Village no matter what the risks involved. Not long after registering the thought, she gave off another gentle cough and a struggling inhale, before trying to speak again.

"I don't think I'll be able to survive the way back."

"Don't say that!" the purple dragon started to cry out for her. "Just hang on for a little while longer!"

Quickly, Spyro rushed to her side and used his horns to attempt to lift her off the ground and onto his back, but… Cynder refused to be carried. She raised a front paw weakly, her expression now showing further limpness and a struggle for stimulation, her breathing now becoming more and more forced and slower.

"Promise Ignitus that he will take care of everyone back home", she spoke in a shallow and feeble tone. "Tell him to stay strong. Tell everyone… to stay strong…"

Silence then went around the immediate area. Even Cynder remained silent as her body then became limp, her head gracefully rolling in place, her eyes sealing shut and her breathing coming to a stop. Right there, Spyro managed to sense the reality of the situation – _the Sorcerer had killed her._

In a delayed reaction, he quickly placed one of his front paws onto her body, trying to tap her in an attempt to bring her back. Yet, regardless of his attempts on doing so, seeing nothing felt left him to suddenly crouch down and start nudging her with his horns.

"Cynder!" he cried out towards her. "Cynder, please, no!"

"It's too late, Spyro", frowned Sparx. "We have to accept the fact that she's gone."

However, Spyro was unable to accept it. He kept nudging her to the best of his ability, whether it be with his horns or his front paws, though it wasn't until Sparx and Ango came towards him from opposing sides and started to drag him away that he started to understand that she might never come back.

Heartbroken, he looked straight towards her limp body, knowing that pleading for her to return to his side would do nothing more than to slow down his encounter with the Sorcerer. Gritting his teeth in a more furious manner than before, he turned straight towards his opponent, twitching his tail from side to side.

"This will not be tolerated!" the dragon exclaimed straight towards the Sorcerer furiously.

His shouts caused for a series of echoes to go right across the room, each of which reaching their hearing with half a second separating each other. However, his shouts were nothing more than amusement to those of the Sorcerer, whom held onto his staff with a proud yet unsettling facial expression.

"Oh, so you want to play mind games, do we?" he chuckled back disturbingly.

"Not exactly", Spyro reacted with a shake of the head. "Even if one of my friends has fallen, I'll keep fighting until the end."

Knowing that there was nothing that could be done for Cynder's life, he looked back at her with a grim expression, knowing that no matter what he would do in the room, nothing could ever be done to bring her back to his side, fighting by him in graceful teamwork, ever again.

With the worrying thought in mind, he tried to look back towards the Sorcerer, hoping to do anything possible to try and inflict any damage once he would make the charge towards him. All the focus and tension was focused right at him, ready to be knocked over like a domino.

Yet, his confidence had been dropped significantly. The thoughts that remained in his mind won't stop leaving. Though he barely knew Cynder for very long, he felt every powerful flashback with her echo through his mind, like a video montage permanently etched inside. There was no way to escape from the thought, and no way that he would be able to fight in such a weakened emotional state.

"_May the ancestors look after you. May they look after us all."_

The sound of the comment caused Spyro to quickly look up in the air, trying to locate it. There, he realised that that was a comment of encouragement granted from Ignitus – where to be more precise, he didn't know, but he gave out a hesitant nod, knowing what had to be done.

Looking back at his partners one by one was more than enough to fuel his strength once more – Sparx and Ango showing their support in a distant corner, and Cynder with her lifeless body spread across the floor. He knew that if anything needed to be done, his thoughts needed to be put aside, ready for him to make his assault upon the Sorcerer.

"Cynder, this one's for you."

The Sorcerer viciously laughed, assuming that dedications would fail to work. "Bring it, purple beast!"

And so, the Sorcerer raised his staff once more, causing a fury of purple geysers to be launched among the floor, trying to block the dragon from making his way towards him. To make matters worse, various blazing boulders were left to fall from the roof panel directly above the room.

Growling with determination, Spyro made his dash through the wider gaps between the geysers, being careful to dodge the falling boulders as well and being careful not to let the ashes touch his body at the same time. As soon as he found himself in a free spot, he only just managed to make out the sight of several spiked objects coming straight towards him.

"Spyro, watch out!" Ango started to warn him from afar, right in the last minute. "He's sending all sorts of strange projectiles in your direction!"

"That's nothing in comparison to what he did to Cynder!" he responded back with a faint leer.

Almost as gracefully as a swan, Spyro leapt straight towards the projectiles in a dare-devil fashion, using his tail to instantly block off every single last one of them from even coming close to him. And just as when he managed to squeeze past them, he made his pounce straight towards the Sorcerer.

"Take that!!"

With his claws outstretched, he made a tail swipe straight towards him, an attempt to trip him from place and a bash straight across his chest through his horns. But in spite of his best melee moves, the Sorcerer still managed to remain standing, cackling at that.

And there, he responded back with raising his hand into the air, now omitting an eerie black color after having it hold onto the sceptre for a reasonably long period of time. He then pushed it forward, causing a sudden gale current to push the dragon straight back towards the other side of the room, being lucky to only just skim the surface of the geysers.

"You're quite a nimble fella, aren't you?" the Sorcerer humbly questioned the dragon with a sneer.

Raising his staff directly into the air once again, he then summoned another deep purple mist. This time, it offered a scent that could almost relax the stimulus, yet Spyro managed to resist it, clutching his eyes and holding his breath at exactly the same time.

As soon as the mist cleared and the scent had vanished, he opened his eyes and right there, he was brought eye to eye with another electric black ball, hurtling faster and faster towards him like an incoming jet plane. He then saw his own reflection on it, shivering, as it got closer and closer.

"Not again!" he gasped, looking on at the incoming ball.

"Quick!" Sparx called out to him from the wall. "Get out of the way and burninate him!"

Spyro looked back at the ball and knew that there was no way that he could deflect it – at least, not without Cynder's help. And so, in response, he quickly dodge rolled out of the way, allowing the ball to smash its way straight into the wall, drilling a hole and revealing the spiral staircase that they previously ascended.

As soon as the last traces of the collision vanished into silence, Spyro focused his attention towards the Sorcerer, whom by then was summoning another large ball in his hand. Quickly he graced his way around the geysers, and leapt into the air as soon as he did so.

"I'm not letting you claim anyone again!" the dragon valiantly called out as he got higher and higher in altitude.

As soon as he reached the highest height, he pointed his head straight up towards a floating piece of rock above his head. Quickly he blew a stream of fire straight towards the ceiling, instantly cracking it from its place and allowing it to make its fall towards the ground.

Its shadow increased and increased rapidly over time, making a stealthy fall towards the Sorcerer as it came further and further down. And finally, he noticed the falling object, though in the last minute; the sight was enough for him to raise his staff into the air, his eyes almost widening at it.

"Now what?" he almost gasped at the sudden sight of the falling projectile.

He tried to run out of the way, but nothing could be done. The stalactite instantly got a hold of his right sleeve and the bottom of his cloak at the same time, leaving him to drop his staff as well as being unable to make his run from the scene. The trapped situation left him vulnerable to Spyro's arsenal of melee attacks, whichever method he would approach them.

The swipes and slashes were shown through the eyes of Sparx as a spectacle of faint lights among the otherwise monochrome appearances of the room. With each one that managed to flash in front of him, he lightly punched the air, hovering up a little bit higher and literally doing any other action possible to cheer the dragon on.

"That's it!" the dragonfly cheered on happily. "Start sending your energy through!"

Spyro continued to make a close assault onto the Sorcerer, which by that time he ended up being able to engulf his cloak in flames. A trail of smoke was seen rising into the air, showing a dense set of black mist that was making a gradual rising towards the ceiling.

But… the dragonfly was able to sense the burning smoke before it could even reached his nose. And then he looked straight towards the direction of the scent, and it was there that he saw Ango, his head suddenly being set on fire without as much of a reason on why.

"Gee, short john silver", Sparx leered at him, irritated and confused at the same time. "What's the matter?"

"The…" He paused with unexplainable pain. "The Sorcerer's hits…"

Before he could even finish, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, leaving him to fall straight to the ground, holding onto it. Shakily, Sparx looked towards Spyro and the Sorcerer, and right there in front of him, he saw said antagonist doing _exactly the same thing._

"They seem to be getting me too!" cried the kid. "But… why?"

The dragonfly focused back towards the kid, and looked deep into his eyes. There he saw an expression filled with pain and horror, increasing with every hit that the Sorcerer managed to inflict. With fear filling his face again, he hovered further out slightly, bringing his hands over his face, ready to call out towards the dragon.

"Spyro, be careful! Every hit you pass onto him also seems to affect the pirate kid!"

The shout quickly made him freeze in the middle of a claw swipe. "What was that?"

Spyro focused his attention towards Sparx and Ango, the latter still wincing in pain from the blow to the stomach that the Sorcerer faced before albeit only just being able to stand up. Yet by then, said antagonist was easily able to recover himself from the ground, standing upright with his hands hanging like a set of eerie claws.

The dragon countered his next move by using his tail to trip him up, with success shown upon the landing. As he did that he looked on at Ango, where directly in sync with the Sorcerer's fall, he lost his own balance and fell straight back onto his side once again.

"Sparx, _you weren't kidding!_"

The sight was enough for Spyro to try and make his dash towards the pair, but before he could even get a clear run… the Sorcerer quickly teleported directly in front of the dragon, with a faint mist being left behind showing the exact direction that he came from.

"How foolish of you", he chuckled, revealing his tongue lifting inside his mouth. "You know you want to defeat me, so give me everything you've got!"

The Sorcerer cackled vilely as he brought his hands together, knowing that regardless of the outcome of the fight, Ango would be heavily weakened and be of little aid towards the dragon. It felt like a win-win situation for him, a smirk forming upon his teeth as he knew it.

All that Spyro could do was look back and forth between the two situations. Should he sacrifice Ango to defeat the Sorcerer? Or should he protect him and find another means? Whichever method he would choose would vary his mood significantly, perhaps even tightening his tense angered mood in a further direction.

"That's it", the Sorcerer nodded slowly. "Channel your rage!"

The smirk upon the Sorcerer's face remained in place as he clutched tighter onto his staff, all before he circled around the dragon, knowing that he was facing a situation that he would easily prevail from. And all that Spyro could do was find a way to calm the situation down.

Then he found his chance. The Sorcerer was positioned right in front of the window, and there, he found the chance to break into a run and charge straight into his chest. Miraculously, his horns pierced into his cloak, leaving him to push him straight towards the glass.

"What the heck are you trying to pull off…!"

And then, the Sorcerer collided with the window, breaking it into a series of shards that rained across the stone floor with some being lucky enough to fall straight outside. And with those that fell outside, there went the Sorcerer, fading into the abyss as he went further and further down. And as his screams quietened, Spyro was convinced that his move meant the end of his tyrannical reign.

"Wow!" Sparx shouted in awe as he came towards Spyro, his jaw dropping after seeing the tactic. "That was a smart move you managed to pull off, pushing him down there like that!"

"Thanks, Sparx. It was the least I can do to reduce any damage to Ango."

With his face starting to become more relaxed, Spyro made his walk towards the shattered window, looking carefully through the remaining panes to see the empty void that was outside. Looking hopeful to know that the Sorcerer had gone, he soon turned back towards Sparx and Ango, one of his eyebrows rising subtly in the process.

"Now that I think abut it, what link do you have with him?" the dragon cautiously asked the kid, raising an eyebrow.

"I… I don't know…"

The dragon then focused his attention to Ango in particular. He knew that from the start it was only his species in general that couldn't be trusted, yet witnessing him getting hurt alongside the Sorcerer simultaneously was enough to make him look on at him with awe, curious over hearing the truth behind him.

But he saw that his eyes showed that he really didn't mean anything. They were almost widened, looking watery in places, leaving them to remain in place with fear creeping upon him like a bad dream being developed. He then crouched down to his knees maintaining that look, knowing that there was nothing that could be done to escape the thought of a connection with their adversary.

"This sorcerer", he quivered, holding his hands to his head. "He can do just about anything…!"

Before he could even finish speaking, Sparx came to his side and slapped him on the head. "Come on, spit it out. You were unnatural from the beginning. I never heard of a pirate descendant that can channel magic before, so surely you must be hiding something!"

"I don't know!" he cried out in a more hesitant high-pitched squeal. "No one ever told me that this would happen!"

Quickly, he brought his arms towards Sparx and hastily embraced him as tears started to flow down him. While the dragonfly looked really annoyed, Spyro noticed his worrying composure during that time. All these seem like signs of confusion and anxiety, and a potential feeling of worry over a foreign yet connecting sensation.

But in spite of witnessing Ango's tense emotions, there was something else that was felt around him. If the Sorcerer had vanished, wouldn't the mist and the Convexity-like void vanish as well? With that worrying thought put to his mind, he walked cautiously towards the middle of the room, his eyes looking keen to investigate further.

"So, the boy refuses to share the truth", a distant voice spoke calmly. "If that's the case, then you're in a bigger predicament than you'll ever imagine, Spyro."

The dragon's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

Before he could even absorb the shout of the familiar voice, a rumble was soon felt directly beneath the dragon's feet, leaving him to look straight towards the window in front of him. The cause was seen starting to make its rise, taking the form of a graceful yet sickening shadow.

And then it arrived at the window, landing right there, taking the form of a giant brown and red dragon. It looked on at Spyro, Sparx and Ango and gave out a giant roar in front of them that sent a warm yet awkward gale force straight into their direction.

"Oh my God!" Sparx almost froze on the spot. "That… thing!"

Spyro looked back at Sparx with an almost obvious facial expression. "That 'thing' is the Sorcerer. I can feel it!"

The large dragon then gave off an ear-piercing roar into the air, echoing around its immediate area and causing several slabs of rock on the walls to just slide and smash into pieces upon contact. It was by that showcase of power that they knew that they were standing face to face with the Sorcerer once more, albeit in a different form.

"He may be at least three times as big as Ignitus, but I'm not letting that get the better of us", the purple dragon remarked determinedly.

"But he…" Sparx refused to stop shivering. "He looks impossible to deploy a single stroke of damage!"

"Not as long as I'm here. I'm ready for him!"

Leering eye to eye with the giant dragon, Spyro knew that there was no way that he would back away regardless of the cost. He twitched his tail from side to side, with the occasional flap of the wing to match, knowing that he would do anything to stop the Sorcerer in its schemes for the village nearby.

"You've just about faced your demise, once again!" he exclaimed as he leered on at the scene beneath his feet.

Growling bitterly, the Sorcerer stood majestically, his head almost touching the ceiling. And then, it raised both of its front paws in the air, creating a giant electric ball ten times as large as the one that previously took Cynder's life – a threatening force that was enough for Spyro's heart to sink deep into his chest.

"Not again!" Spyro blinked at the sight of the forming ball.

"Quick!" Sparx cheered from behind. "Banish the sucker!"

Sparx's remark left Spyro to take several steps back at the sight of the forming ball. He knew that without Cynder, gathering the strength to form the barrier that based the magic attack would make things difficult. But despite the consequences, he knew that it had to be done regardless.

The ball was then formed and launched towards him, and right in the last second he launched _both_ front paws forward as if he was attempting to stand up. And right there, a white barrier was formed around the front of his body, instantly clashing with the ball as soon as it matured.

"His attacks…!" he showed weakness as he struggled to control the force of the ball. "They're… they're getting more powerful!"

"Quick!" Ango almost mimicked Sparx's cheer from before. "Push it aside!"

Spyro leered on at the ball as he felt its power start to grow more and more with every passing second. Taking in a deep breath of air, he then plucked up the courage to build up frontal body strength and thrust his front legs, pushing the ball straight back like a basketball.

And then, it made its way towards the Sorcerer, instantly making contact with his tail. However, in spite of its best moves, it was unable to make much damage on him at all, leaving nothing more than a slight burn in the tail area that left him with more of an annoyed expression than anything else.

"Never fall under my power," he cackled at the 'force' of the counterattack.

The Sorcerer then gave off what sounded like a combination of a cackle and a roar, before he started to make a slow yet threatening run towards Spyro. The purple dragon however started to make his dash underneath his foe's legs, doing his best to inflict damage upon them and/or his tail, yet as soon as he would get to them they would instantly raise in the air before he could do as much as a scratch.

"He won't stop moving around!" the dragon panicked as he kept on trying to reach for his opponent. "I need to find a way to strike him!"

"Be careful, Spyro!" exclaimed Sparx from the other side of the room. "Remember, every scratch you deal on him seems to affect Ango as well!"

Sparx's remark left Spyro to suddenly turn towards Ango, whom for some reason started to look less and less enthusiastic about the fight. Quickly, he jumped up towards the thigh of a back leg and scratched it; turning back to the pirate kid saw him on one leg, clutching the other with pain. Gasping, he made his run straight back.

"Hang on, Sparx! I'm coming back!"

Grasping his teeth tightly together, he made his dash straight towards the kid, weaving his way straight through the dragon's legs and making a dash straight among the floor, aiming for Sparx and Ango and looking considerably more focused as he came closer and closer to them.

As soon as he got there, he came to a stop and looked at the kid. Even though he saw the extent of the damage witnessed earlier on, he never expected him to finally start succumbing to the damage up until now, even though they remained to look uncertain over how it actually happened.

"Are you saying you're a bigger scaredy-cat than ME?" the dragonfly leered with a questionable glance.

"No, I'm just saying that you're a genius!" replied Spyro as he looked back and forth between his comrades and his opponent.

Just as brave as he ever was, he brought his attention towards Ango, whom by then was struggling to maintain his own composure. And then, he waved his tail, summoning him to come closer towards him. Finally the kid made a stop, looking confused over what was occurring.

"Ango, hold onto me!" the dragon ordered him with haste.

Knowing that there may not be any more means of escape, he took a tight grasp around Spyro's back before mounting directly on top of him like a jockey on a horse. That meant having to disable the use of his wings for the time being, but as far as the dragon knew, he didn't care.

And so they both went forward, charging towards the Sorcerer as if they were in a medieval joust. As soon as they got there, Spyro jumped up into the air and sunk his claws deep into the Sorcerer's kneecaps, sliding down and causing deep scratches as he did so.

"This isn't helping!" Ango winced with pain as Spyro went further and further down the Sorcerer's leg. "I'm still feeling as if I'm getting hit inside!"

"Just calm down! I'm sure we can get through this!"

Spyro looked back at Ango as he slid further and further down. And just like that, he saw fresh graze marks showing down the corresponding elbow. The deep red marking were more than enough to see the extent of the damage that would get exchanged between the two.

"Try and understand the potential of Spyro's power!" Sparx called out from right at the other side of the room.

The kid ended up looking back and forth between Sparx, Spyro, the Sorcerer's scratches and the scratches on his own elbow. And there he started to see a change – he saw a strange form of black ooze starting to seep out from the caps itself, yet from his scratches, nothing was emerging at all.

"I think…" he paused, still looking amazed over the situation. "I think this is starting to make sense! You're holding onto me to use the Shadowstone's banish magic to help reduce my damage!"

Spyro responded back with a hasty nod in place, almost sighing with impatience. "That's exactly what I'm trying to do!"

Not long after making his remark, Spyro carefully released his grasp from the part of the Sorcerer that he dug into and dropped towards the ground, with Ango holding onto his shoulders during the fall. The application of the scratch wasn't enough to even make their opponent wince at all, amazingly enough.

He looked down at the pair with a leer and a vicious chuckle from his mouth. "Nice try, but with the way this is going, you're NEVER going to strike me down that easy!"

And then, he brought up his front paws again, once again allowing for a giant thunderous ball to come towards the scene. Quickly, both Spyro and Ango took several steps back, unknowing of when the ball would make its strike towards them, or Sparx for that matter.

"Alright", Spyro looked on at Ango with a burning set of hope in his eyes. "Let's banish again TOGETHER!"

"I'm on it!"

The ball was sent straight in their direction, and as soon as it would collide with them, Spyro stood up on his hind legs and raised his front legs in the air, with Ango using his legs to hold onto the dragon and raising his arms like he was performing a Mexican wave. A bright white light engulfed the pair, surrounding the pair as the ball struggled to make its way towards the flesh of either of the pair.

"This power!" Ango winced as he felt the ball start to penetrate the light and strike his right leg. "It's… it's consuming me!"

"That's the point!" Spyro reassured him back, still focusing his attention on the ball. "It could also consume the Sorcerer as well."

"But it's hurting me!!!"

Ango's cries were enough for Spyro to briefly shift his attention towards him, seeing his arms starting to give way towards the energy. He then looked back at the Sorcerer, whose own front paws ended up with him struggling to stand upright. Right there, the dragon knew that they were destined to make their move.

"Quick, release the energy!"

And so, both together, they pointed their arms/front legs forward, allowing the built up ball of light to be reflected straight towards the Sorcerer. Weakened from the assault on the front legs, he was left to be completely vulnerable to the impact of the ball.

The force sent him flying right across the room, straight past the broken window shards and towards the opening in the wall that led directly towards the clearing. He soon stopped right at its ledge, only just balancing from it with one of its back legs alone.

"He's falling!" Ango screamed happily at the sight. "I can't believe it!"

True to his words, the Sorcerer ended up slipping from position, but almost as elegantly as a giant bird of prey, he clung onto the ledge with his front legs, and pulled himself up, allowing for his wings to hover himself up carefully over the window shards and back onto safe ground once again.

"Wrong!" moaned Sparx. "He completely regained his balance! We can't deplete him at this rate."

The remark caused Spyro to look back at him, looking more convincing. "Yes we can! I'll make sure of that!"

The sight of the intimidating glance of the Sorcerer, returning from its fall, was easily enough to almost put a chill into their skin if they didn't already. But in spite of him looking determined to counter Spyro and Ango together, both of them looked on at him with a burning desire to diminish him in their eyes.

"Climb onto my back!" the dragon commanded with the kid positively.

Upon response, Ango quickly climbed straight back onto Spyro's back, being careful not to block either of his wings from giving him the potential to fly up. Once he was mounted, the dragon was left to make a running charge straight towards the Sorcerer, ready to counter him once more.

The large dragon raised its feet into the air, ready to trample the pair as they came closer and closer. But in spite of his best efforts, the two were lucky enough to escape from there on their own accord, easily ready to come closer and closer towards the scene.

"You can't escape from me!" the Sorcerer bluffed. "I am a more lethal enemy than anyone can imagine!"

Cackling viciously, he hovered his way up, far away from the reach of the pair, right before they were able to meet straight towards his head. Spyro's expression instantly showed one thing that he refused to speak of – exactly why at this point was the Sorcerer acting like a chicken?

Regardless, he took a deep breath, gritted his teeth once more and made his charge towards the Sorcerer, even though he felt unable to counter him with him being several feet up into the air. The only thought that remained in his mind was that what comes up must soon come down.

"Stay back, you cretins!"

And come down was something that the Sorcerer managed to do; as he did that, he tucked his head into his chest and brought himself into a roll, leaving him to come closer and closer towards the ground with the added pressure being granted right across his body.

As rough as the blade on a pizza cutter, he made his way straight towards Spyro and Ango, whom quickly rolled right out of the way in opposing directions right in the nick of time, allowing the Sorcerer to zoom right past them and head straight back towards the window.

"That's it!" the dragon shouted with optimism. "Let's finish him together!"

Ango's face still showed a trace of insecurity. "But I can't fight him physically! You know that!"

"I know, but just hold onto me and everything will be fine!"

Ango's face still showed insecurity, yet one look at Spyro's trusting face seemed like enough to trust him for the time being. Shaking, yet still doing as much as possible to hide his fear, he took a hold of the back of the dragon and mounted onto him once again.

Once that was done, Spyro made his charge towards the Sorcerer, whom then proceeded to make a charge back in his rolled up form. But before he could even make any damage, the dragon side-stepped out of the way and quickly poked him apart with the tips of his horns. Once the Sorcerer was left to release himself from the ball and reposition himself, he looked on at the dragon as he once again ended up facing a vulnerable beating spree.

"Gah!" the Sorcerer flinched with every passing hint. "What are you trying to do?"

"One more for the count!" exclaimed Spyro with valor as he landed on both feet.

With a victorious glance, he turned straight back towards Ango, whom looked back at him with a more hopeful glance than before. Though he felt as if he might not do much active combat with the group, he still felt that he could be able to make his way through the entire situation.

And then, Spyro made a fresh assault upon the Sorcerer, leaping up into the air, spewing flames all over him. But as he did that… he felt the same burning sensation on his back. Obviously Ango might have felt the same situation, he thought confidently to himself.

"Spyro! Your tail!" Sparx panicked from the other side of the room. "It's... glowing!"

The remark caused the dragon to freeze in the air. "What??"

Quickly Spyro landed upon the ground and looked ahead at the Sorcerer, whose tail started to catch on fire at the touch and his body was left to glow with an intense red color. And just as elegantly as the dragon landed, he quickly brought himself up into the air and hid away into the ceiling.

As he escaped from his sight, Spyro focused his attention towards his back. Expecting to see Ango there, his eyes were met… with the sight of a white aura that crept alone, fading into nothing more than a set of firefly-like lights, dissolving into the air like sugar in a cup of tea.

The dragon gasped in response. "Ango! What's happened to you?"

A burst of sinister laughter filled the air, as Spyro looked around frantically for Ango. Several moments later, he felt as if he was unable to give up his search, when all of a sudden he felt a furred shadow creep over him like a foreign monster ready to make its attack.

"It's too late!" screeched the Sorcerer's voice in a victorious tone. "Do you want to know the truth?"

The remark was enough for the dragon to turn towards the shadow's direction. And there, he saw the Sorcerer in his dragon form, though ending up with brown furs gracing his head, back and limbs as well as a more canine-like mouth – a half-dragon half-beast, if there ever was such a thing.

"Do you see now, dragon?" he brashly addressed him. "He might have been this special pirate kid that can open my portals, but he's forgetting one important thing. Only a noble follower of the Dark Master would open them!"

Spyro thought back about the situation. He saw from the times that Ango managed to help him out, they were mainly to bypass the gateways that the Sorcerer left behind. And having thought about the Professor's pep talk from right at the beginning, he showed his understanding, thinking about the possibility of a connection of his species in general to the portals. But the question is, how did the Sorcerer know about the Dark Master?

He then plucked the courage to ask him. "I know about these creatures following him, but how did you know…?"

"That's only because of one thing. Did you see the Convexity resemblance outside? Did you even witness the time portal and the dark energy seeping across the Dragon Realms?"

Silence echoed across the room. And in time, Spyro lowered his wings straight towards the ground, his head descending into a slow yet certain nod. There were so many references to the painful sight of Convexity that it was unbelievable, he thought worryingly to himself.

"Surely there must be a conclusion you must draw from that", the Sorcerer made his reminder.

His comment stirred gently within the air as if it was nothing more than a low growl. That left Spyro to try and figure out every situation that seemed to make sense to him; the sudden appearance of Cynder's former soldiers at the Dragon Village; the Convexity-like auras; even the life-draining spaces around the village itself… given the deep leer in his eyes, he knew that he had found his answer.

"Wait a second", he remarked decisively. "You ARE the Dark Master!"

"WRONG!" the Sorcerer scowled loudly. "I am merely an illusion created from the Dark Master, and thus a possessor of his energy at that."

Spyro's heart skipped slightly. Surely he guessed that the Dark Master was involved to some extent, yet how could the Sorcerer end up being an 'offspring' of said monstrous deity? All that he could do was remain still as he took in the Sorcerer's words, explaining everything in front of the dragon's eyes.

"It took me a couple of attempts, but I managed to channel his energy and converted it to the chaos you've seen. And with the furred beasts that followed him also being sent here in the process, it's only a matter of coincidence that they would get affected if you tried to defeat me as well."

Spyro gave in a brief yet shaky nod; sure, a fair amount of what the Sorcerer explained seemed to make sense, he thought to himself. Yet he ended up thinking about the 'furred beasts' that he was referring to. And then, his eyes instantly widened, bringing him back to reality.

"Those", the Sorcerer slowly boomed, "like that Ango kid!"

Right in front of his eyes, an illusion of Ango showed up right in front of him, shimmering as nothing more than what seemed like a vision. Quickly, the dragon rushed towards him but before he could do that, he faded out with a distortion, never to be seen again.

And as soon as that happened, all that the dragon could do was look straight on at the Sorcerer's eyes, his facial expression showing an increased amount of fear than the usual. First, Cynder had to die at the hands of him. Then Ango had to vanish thanks to his species and their link to the Dark Master. What could get worse, he worried to himself.

Spyro's heart continued to sink as he dug his claws into the marble flaw. "You can't be serious!"

The Sorcerer reacted with a high-pitched laugh that almost shook the walls. "Now, thanks to you, his power has been absorbed into my own flesh, and with that, my attacks will be much more powerful than before. And the Dragon Realms will face darkness faster than ever!"

The Sorcerer cackled in place, bringing himself onto his hind legs and sending his front paws straight towards the ground, landing with a thunderous pound upon the ground that almost knocked Spyro off his feet. Yet he remained still, clutching tightly upon the floor and gritting his teeth tightly at his adversary.

"I'm not letting this happen!"

The Sorcerer shook his head, smirking. "Say goodbye, Spyro – for the last time!"

Cackling sinisterly, the Sorcerer brought back his mouth and allowed for a bright aura to shine between his jaws. Eventually it grew bigger and bigger, and there, there formed another black energy ball, only this time there were larger and more frequent purple light pulses than the usual.

Quickly, the Sorcerer launched it straight forward, hurtling towards Spyro at a sinister and godly speed. But just in time, the dragon managed to stand up on both of his hind legs and sent his front legs forward, summoning the usual banish aura right in front of his eyes.

The energy ball then collided with the aura, once again causing the usual sparks of energy falling to the ground like fading embers. A confident glare on the dragon's face showed that he was ready to make his way through the situation just like he usually would.

But what he didn't know was that that time, the ball never came close to changing color – it just stayed black. The sparks became more and more frequent, this time feeling as if they were trying to burn the floor with the intense heat that were omitted from them.

All that Spyro could do was hold on as he tried to maintain the ball's energy, no matter how intense it would keep ending up being. But before he knew it… the ball finally broke through the barrier, instantly striking him on the body with a bright flash.

"Spyro!" Sparx exclaimed as he saw the dragon's reactions. "Hang in there, buddy!"

The flash maintained itself in place for several moments; all that Sparx could even see through there was the sight of Spyro's shadow soaring through the air, falling from his upright position straight onto his back, landing painfully upon the hard floor beneath him.

Finally the white light faded out, gently and creepily. And as soon as it faded out, the first thing that Sparx managed to do was hover his way straight towards the dragon's direction, with his arms trembling unstably as he got closer and closer towards his accomplice.

"Come on, Spyro! You're our last hope for this! First Cynder, then Ango… and we can't lose you as well!"

And then he reached the dragon's side. As he got there, he saw that he was completely toppled over by the Sorcerer's ball – looking as if he was knocked out by that glance. The sight was enough for the dragonfly to reach down towards him, taking a hold of his jaw and trying to raise it into the air.

"Come on, raise your head up!" he pleaded with increased desperation in his voice. "We can't let this happen to you!"

Repeating the response to the situation that he faced up the ramp of light when initially leaving from the Sorcerer's lair, he then brought his body into a nudge upon the dragon's body, trying to budge him in every manner he could to bring him to his senses.

But nothing happened. Yet that wasn't the oddest thing he felt upon every push – as he did that, he felt something strange every time he collided with Spyro's body; a feeling of coldness. Every nudge performed left him to feel a colder and colder texture among his flesh.

"Spyro…" the dragonfly's nudges became weaker. "Please…" he then stopped nudging, his eyes looking watered. "Please, don't…"

With deep concern, he ended up bringing himself towards one of the dragon's paws. Raising it into the air, he also felt a cold texture, and no sign of any rumbling sensations that went upon the ankle of his foot either. The feeling left his face to turn white at the touch.

And then he approached his chest. Bringing his arms towards where his heart would be, he too felt the same cold texture that he felt with the nudges and the touches, as well as the same stillness that he faced with his ankles. No heartbeat; no breathing; _nothing at all_.

And that confirmed every suspicion that was right in front of Sparx's head. Looking down at the dragon's lifeless body was enough to draw one conclusion from the entire encounter – not even the Shadowstone could protect Spyro from the Sorcerer. Not even Spyro himself could save the realms. As far as the dragonfly was concerned, he had passed onto the afterlife with the other incarnations of Spyro and Sparx.

The war – and to that extent the entire Dragon Realms – officially _belonged_ to the Sorcerer.

_-end of chapter-_


	10. The Tempest of Trust

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Man, I'm really digging the responses granted by the previous chapter. It's not the quantity that counts for me – it's the reactions, and I'm pretty damn happy for it.

I shouldn't be surprised about all the comments about the deaths in the previous chapter. The plan for Ango was one of the aspects that were established from the beginning – a connection with the adversary meant a chance to play around the aspect and drive him away from the standard Gary Stu concept as a result. Making Spyro and Cynder fall alongside it weren't exactly planned to begin with, though when the development became more precise and especially when the original ninth chapter was cut into two halves with a revamped intro for the first half, I saw it as a neat way to form another one of those feelings of despair to hang right at the end of the chapter.

Zerodius, I praised your speculations on MSN the other day so it's best not to repeat it for the blurb :) That third idea could have been really cool, though yes, the concern was wondering what could happen if they won the battle. Even though it won't be considered an option for this story, it might be a direction to play around with in the future, depending on what I feel like writing and so forth.

So yes, it's time for the tenth chapter. Any mention about the content would be really unnecessary. Thanks very much for reading :D

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

It had only been a couple of hours since Spyro, Sparx, Cynder and Ango left the Dragon Village to take on the Sorcerer, destined to put their mark on a long struggle that the latter was able to take hold upon the almost helpless residents that were residing there. 

But even minutes after their departure, most of which still showed pessimism nonetheless. Some of which even ended up going as far as to shut themselves in their own houses, out of the way of the reality of the darkening outside world that was rapidly consuming the area.

Even the Professor and his comrades felt the same way, knowing the exact reason for everyone's move. Their discussion over the loss of the incarnation of Spyro that they knew had left most of them to show dwindling spirits as time went on, pessimistic about the village's future.

The only personnel that came close to boosting confidence were Bianca, Red and Ignitus - the rabbit was waiting inside the lab, sitting on a stool in an opposing corner, and the latter pair were standing side by side and looking out to the distant horizon. Though the winds that blew were cold enough to almost put out a single torch, their expressions still showed enough self-belief on order being restored.

Even the sight of some of the Dark Master's creatures around the campfire came as an interesting surprise; most of which had faded away into absolutely nothing, with various others doubling up in pain and assisting others in similar situations – the wounds apparently arriving from out of nowhere.

It wasn't long until a faint purple spark made its way through the air from out of nowhere, soaring through the air like a burning ember. It soon landed on Ignitus's nose, and upon feeling it, his facial expression started to drop. His reaction left Red to look on at him curiously, wondering what he sensed from the object.

"I still can't believe that Spyro has gone", sobbed Ember from the interior of the building. "I'm never going to get over this."

"Neither am I, but we need to remain strong", Bandit replied calmly yet sternly.

Gracefully, Bandit brought his arm around Ember's back and stroked her gently, trying to calm her down. It had been shown that she didn't subside much since the previous talk, her looks maintaining the same amount of grief if not having significantly more.

"Everyone, please", Bianca soon stood up and addressed everyone around her. "Red didn't mean much harm. But trust me, as long as Spyro is in our hearts, he will be there with us."

Gently and in an assuring fashion, Bianca made her walk across the room, looking on at everyone as if to say "relax" with a neutral-looking facial expression. In spite of that, most of the personnel didn't look too sure, especially Ember, whose glance still showed traces of frustration regardless.

"How can I feel it?" she asked, her voice breaking up.

"I think I can", Flame replied, showing signs of self-recovery. "Even though he's not physically with us, he needs to be around us in some form or other if the Sorcerer's actions will eventually cease and desist."

As Flame sat down - his looks becoming more confident - his attention soon shifted towards the window. And there, he saw Red looking on at Ignitus with grave concern, the latter twitching his nose at the touch of the ember that sizzled on top of it.

"Ignitus, what is it?" Red asked him, concerned about the feelings transferred from the feather.

"Spyro wasn't strong enough", frowned the Guardian. "The Sorcerer has won the battle. But I am really sure that there is a way to turn the situation around."

"How is that possible?" the Elder continued to enquire him. "I mean, if he killed THAT incarnation of Spyro as well-"

Ignitus quickly raised a front paw in front of Red's face, causing him to freeze in mid sentence. While that happened, Flame brought himself towards the window, unable to hear the conversation but wanting to listen in either way. Quickly, he got a hold of one of the handles with his front paws and pulled it, allowing for the window to open and allowing their conversations to be heard by everyone else, with the subtle sound of wind being heard in the background.

"Just link your hands and think of the happy times you've had with him, whether it's the one you knew or the one Cynder and I have known."

Calmly, Ignitus looked on at Red with his own pair of eyes, shifting his tail gently from side to side. And knowing by instinct, the Dragon Elder placed his hand upon the Dragon Guardian's back, and took a hold onto them like a jockey brushing his own horse.

The example was enough for Flame to jump up at the sight of it, yet when he turned back to see everyone else, most of them didn't show the same level of enthusiasm back at them. All… but one – Hunter gave off a brief twitch of the tail, holding onto his bow as loosely as he could.

"Yes, I can think so much about him", Hunter smiled as he stood up. "Spyro and I did all sorts of crazy stunts together while in Avalar. I'll never forget the times we spent together."

"He also worked really hard in gathering the materials I needed to power my gadgets!" the Professor followed suit, taking a hold of Hunter's right hand. "I'm never going to forget that either."

"He was one of my most favorite customers in my shop!" Moneybags exclaimed with his eyes widened. "I don't know how he felt about me, but I feel just as grateful!"

Jumping up and down in place, Moneybags locked his hand with Hunter's left, and together they all looked towards the window, straight at Ignitus's eyes. He then smiled back at them, knowing that all three of them had the right idea with their actions, as well as knowing that thinking of happier times would further boost their inner selves as time went on.

"He helped me stop me from stealing dragon eggs for the immortality of a sorceress back in the Forgotten Realms", reflected Bianca as she held onto the Professor.

"And he helped destroyed a dark gem just for me!" Ember exclaimed with tears of joy as she locked her front leg around one of Moneybags's legs. "I've treasured the shards broken off ever since!"

"It was amazing just to see him fight Gnasty Gnorc two years ago!" Flame galloped around the scene looking powerfully optimistic. "I'll never forget his courage in seeing that!"

Before Flame came close to Ember, he looked towards the ceiling and breathed out a small speck of fire in the room, granting a sense of temporary warmth all around them. Continuing to smile, he brought out a front leg and locked it with one of Ember's, leaving both young dragons to look up simultaneously.

Blink came to hold onto Bianca's hand before he expressed his words. "He helped me when I was trapped inside a bamboo cage in a nearby swamp, and to repay him I explored below ground and found all sorts of treasure!"

"He was able to accept us armadillos into the Dragon Realms, as well as unite me with Ember", reminisced Bandit as he came closer to the line. "Those were the sweetest moments I can think of!"

As soon as he got to one end of the line, he shifted his eyes straight towards Ember, stretching his hand out before crouching down and grasping her cheek with a proud expression. He then moved on to the other side, linking his hands with Blink. But not long after he did so, Red made his way inside the room, proudly clutching onto his staff as he advanced.

"And he also freed me from madness when it consumed me the most", he spoke softly in a deeper voice tone than the usual. "Thanks to him, I'm a Dragon Elder once again!"

Smiling proudly, he took a hold of Bandit's hand with his free arm. And then, almost as if he was guiding a tow rope, he brought the entire line of personnel straight towards the open air outside, now knowing that each of them were as hopeful as the last.

As soon as they got out, Red instantly dropped his staff at the door and walked towards Ignitus, where as soon as he got to him he placed a hand straight onto one of his front legs. The guardian looked back at the group with an expression filled with hope.

Flame soon followed, holding onto Ignitus's other front leg with his own. Together, they were connected as if they were in a circle - as if they were around their own campfire, ready to rejoice once more. They all looked up to the sky – even though they knew that they were almost shrouded in complete darkness, they know that there was still a trace of light within them regardless.

"Spyro, if you can hear us, _we all believe in you!_"

Ignitus's comment soon summoned a speck of light coming from his right. They all looked in the direction, and right there, they saw Red's sceptre glowing all on its own, reflecting with an assortment of spectrum colors. The sight of them left them to look on at it with wonder, with Ember and Flame especially almost having their jaws dropped at the sight of it.

And just like it had a mind of its own, it floated straight towards the sky, floating as elegantly as a peacock feather. And then, it finally made its way to the tallest pylon that stood around the Professor's lab, continuing to hang there while radiating the light.

All of a sudden, a burst of white energy was reflected around them, temporarily granting a peaceful daylight burst during that moment in time, all before turning into darkness and back once again. The repeating cycle continued for so long in the village, to the point that various passers by stopped in their tracks, trying to understand what was going on.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Sorcerer's lair, the effects were also taken on another object – the Shadowstone. That in turn caused the entire area to flash from an uneasy combination of a foreboding room to a golden palace area and back, all before it finally started to calm down and channel through one object only – the wielder of the amulet. 

The energy was channelled directly through Spyro, allowing his still body to flash from its deep shade of purple to a haunting tone of lilac and back again. The sudden glow was soon caught in Sparx's field of view, leaving him to widen his eyes at the sight. What the heck is going on, he thought confusedly to himself.

Hesitantly, he went towards his head and looked towards his body, and it was there that he saw the dragon's wings just stir slightly, with that feeling passing towards the rest of his body. It then trickled his head, and several moments later, his eyes flickered themselves open.

The dragonfly's mouth widened at the sight. _Spyro was alive!_

"The…" he weakly tried to string some words together. "The Shadowstone?"

Sparx gave off a concerned blink before he hovered closer to the floor. And there, he saw the Shadowstone flashing and conducting them around Spyro's body when appropriate. The dragonfly could only look on at wonder – maybe there was some good about that decaying amulet after all.

The energy possessed soon got to the point that it started to lift Spyro above the ground, without the need for him to flap his wings for support or anything. And just like the staff, the glow caused for brief spurts of sunlight before fading into darkness, in a repeated cycle.

And finally, there was a giant flash of white around the immediate area. It soon faded out gently, and as soon as it faded, Spyro was left to just float towards the ground, landing on all fours and looking completely re-energised. That expression was more than enough for Sparx to approach the dragon and take a hold of his neck, rubbing his cheek with one of his hands while showing an expression of happiness. Yet, for obvious reasons, not everyone in the room was completely satisfied with the revival.

"What's going on?" the Sorcerer bitterly roared at the spectacle. "What are you trying to pull off?"

The sorcerer was left to growl under his breath, waving his tail into the air as he did so. Growling bitterly, he was left to swipe it directly to the ground, vibrating the ground with heavy thunderous pounds thus shaking the entire ground from directly beneath his feet.

Yet, the thunderous pulses were nothing of concern to Spyro, as he was left to look down at himself and the Shadowstone hanging gently on his neck. He didn't know how it managed to act as a bracer for him, but he knew that something was flowing through it, thus he was determined to come to a conclusion.

"This power!" he continuously exclaimed joyfully. "It feels very different to what I'm used to, but I'm sure I know what it is."

Sparx released his grasp from Spyro's neck and looked on at the Shadowstone with him, its glowing energy radiating brightly into their eyes like an unspoilt treasure. With the sight in mind, Spyro pointed his head up towards the sky like a lion looking over its pride.

"It's the power of _trust_. As long as you are remembered fondly, you'll never die in spirit. And for that reason, the incarnation of Spyro as the villagers knew won't be going away for a long time."

"Okay, this is starting to get confusing", Sparx rolled his eyes and scratched his head at the same time. "Perhaps we need an explanation about this 'trust' issue from old man Ignitus again when we're done with this doofus."

"Maybe so", shrugged the purple dragon. "But thanks to this power, I'm back on top once again!"

With a confident smile, Spyro knew that this was the time when he will be able to combat the Sorcerer to his advantage, in spite of having lost two comrades in the same battle. All that remained from the scourge was him and Sparx, fighting against a dragon larger than any monster that he ever faced before.

Maintaining his expression, he made his walk directly towards the Sorcerer, twitching his tail gently as he went closer and closer towards him with gentle steps taken in his stride. His confidence was enough for the Sorcerer to growl in place, twitching his tail around further and further.

"That doesn't mean you'll seal my fate!" the monster leered back angrily. "Take this!"

And then, it made a progressive step forward, shaking the ground with a quake that could have almost knocked a scarecrow from its stand. From its mouth, there came a large beam that ended up engulfing the entire area, being launched straight towards Spyro without any time for him to deflect it back.

The beam then ceased, leaving him to see into a sequence of smoke drilled into a wall. However, what he didn't expect was for the dragon to make his re-arrival onto the scene, coming out from a nearby alcove from the interior of the wall, his face showing cockiness as he escaped.

"What?" the Sorcerer exclaimed as he saw Spyro's re-emergence.

"Say your prayers, Sorcerer!"

The Sorcerer tried to launch the light beam from its mouth again, but Spyro's elegant running speed made it completely unable to damage him as he made his way straight towards his adversary, his teeth clutched together and his horns lowered down once again.

It wasn't long until he managed to reach the feet in particular, and then, he made his strategy by jumping up onto the Sorcerer's leg and climbing his way towards his back, performing several tail swipes there, leaving him to flinch with every strike that struck him.

After several in a row, the Sorcerer brought himself on all fours, brought his tail out and used it to swat Spyro away like a physical bug repellent. After several swipes and misses, it finally caught him, leaving him with no choice but to let go and land on the ground on all fours, several feet away from his opponent.

"Spyro, don't let your guard down!" Sparx brawled out from nearby, trying to assure the dragon.

"It's never going to happen now! I'm destined to defeat him!"

And with a confident charge, Spyro made his dash straight towards the Sorcerer, edging his horns straight forward, hoping to strike as much as a single stroke of damage towards his form regardless of how big or intimidating that he could end up being.

As soon as he reached him, he almost finalised the charge, but before anything else could happen the Sorcerer flew out of the way and made his move towards the other side of the room. Yet in spite of the quick dodge, the purple dragon looked confident enough to try again.

Once again he got so close to knock him over once again, but before anything else could happen, a bright ball formed inside the mouth of the Sorcerer before being launched in the direction of the roof panel, once again being formed with the same awkward black overcoat.

"Take this, you mongrel!" he roared back towards his opponent.

The black ball then dropped its altitude and zoomed straight towards Spyro, whom quickly reacted with a screeching halt and standing upright, thrusting his front legs forward and forming the Banish barrier once more. The sight of it left the Sorcerer to look on with a concerned glance over the dragon's quick reaction.

"What are you doing?" he leered back with impatience.

Spyro, however, completely ignored his question. "It's time we took care of business, you monster!"

And just like that, the Banish barrier collided with the black ball, once again causing the same white and pink sparks that formed upon previous collisions; however the intensity of the light was more than enough to even cause significant damage to the ball itself, almost as if it was getting absorbed by the light.

Instead of vanishing, it started to change. Gone were the black mist and the electric currents that surrounded it, and there went a sign of pure light that surrounded it, with radiant rays bursting out from it - looking as if they were omitted directly from the sun.

Finally, the dragon released his grasp from it and sent it straight towards the Sorcerer. He tried to fly out of the way of it, but as soon as he did he noted that the ball was making its way straight towards him like a homing missile, and it was there that he knew that he was in an instant predicament.

All of his attempts to dodge it included barrel rolling, taking cover behind any stone pillars, and even taking the opportunity to fly out of the window and back inside the room through the roof panel. Yet regardless of the chase, the white ball came faster and faster towards him.

Finally, the ball got close enough to start singeing his tail. And slowly but surely, it started to affect the rest of his body, before burning his entire back. The very motion was enough to send the Sorcerer flying out of control, heading towards the ground uncontrollably.

"Attaboy, Spyro!" Sparx applauded brashly. "I know you can do it!"

There, the Sorcerer landed upon the cold floor head first, causing a giant scratch upon the ground with his chin. The landing left him dazed for several seconds at a time, making him temporarily unaware of what exactly was going on in the time that passed since then.

Finally he felt a nudge near him. Quickly he opened his eyes and looked straight on towards the scene, and there he saw Spyro ramming into his body every way he can. Except, this time his attacks resulted in the inflicting body parts glowing with a white aura before striking, and his flames were shown to be significantly more intense than they were before.

The amount of pain inflicted on his body was soon enough to boost him from his state of hopelessness, thus standing up upon the ground. He thundered his legs right in front of Spyro, encouraging him to stop any attempts to be made in damaging his body.

"Don't even think about it", he whispered under his breath before growling deeper.

A giant roar was sensed from his body, yet in spite of having a face full of exhaled air from his mouth, there was no change done towards Spyro's attitude. As soon as the roar ceased, he brought himself back into a firm fighting stance, continuing to growl towards the giant monster.

"There's no rest for the wicked! Your time is ticking away, dragon!"

And just like that, he raised his head straight up into the air. Right above came several darkened shapes all at once – eight round objects showing. All of them had the same death-inflicting purple aura that Spyro had to deal with before countless times before, in any shape or form, whether alone or with an accomplice by his side.

And just like that, the balls were launched straight in his direction, all coming together simultaneously to form a network of balls though not necessarily fusing. Quickly the purple dragon reacted by standing up on both hind legs, bringing his front arms out to form the familiar white barrier summoned from his front paws together.

Just in the nick of time, all eight balls were caught onto the barrier, all fusing upon it and turned in color to its white counterparts as it happened. What once were eight black balls colliding with it soon fused together and formed four larger ones in the space of five seconds.

"Banish, NOW!" he exclaimed his command with a glowing tint in his eye.

With a confident glare, Spyro pushed the barrier forward, thus sending the balls straight back towards its caster. Quickly the Sorcerer took action by dodging the first one, but he was unlucky to end up facing one of which clashing his back, and the two others making collisions with his feet.

With the pain filling his mind, he made his hovering straight towards the open window panel. In a quick reaction, he jumped his way down, and soon used his wings to hover himself up, yet this time there was one direction that he focused on – escaping from the lair.

"He's out of the window!" shouted Sparx, pointing on at the fleeing Sorcerer. "Quick! Go after him!"

"I'm on it, Sparx!"

Spyro made his run straight towards the empty window panel for himself, being careful to dodge all the broken glass shards on the floor in the process. Though, given his slightly worrying facial expression, it seemed as if the shards would be the last thing on his mind.

Would he really be able to fly his way towards the Sorcerer? Had the fight from Cynder left him unable to fly for a long period of time? Either way, his thoughts ended up coming all back to one thing – the ability to fly rested inside the knowledge of his ancient blood, and his expression was unwilling to let it go.

And then, he reached the panel, jumping straight down into the abyss below. He tried to flap his wings, yet… in spite of his best efforts, he was unable to carry himself up. All of this arrogance and confidence seemed to have led to nothing, he upsettingly thought as he was left falling to where he did not know.

The Sorcerer brawled viciously as he witnessed Spyro's failed flight attempt. "You deserved it, you irritating monster!"

The Sorcerer's vicious laughter faded out into the distance, showing itself as nothing more than a distant cry as he went further down. Knowing that he was unable to fly to his opponent, all that Spyro could do was seal his eyes and get absorbed by the impending darkness beneath him…

"_Feel the power of your ancestors coursing through your body. In times of crisis they will come to you and teach you... unlocking powers you never knew you had."_

His heart quickly skipped a beat. Exactly why was he hearing Ignitus's voice, or rather, a command that he spoke before? An instant memory sprung through to his mind – the time when that guardian in particular briefly hypnotised him into seeking for his ability to fly.

"_Just forget everything you ever though you knew... forget yourself. Only through forgetting will you remember what your ancient blood already knows..."_

Almost on his own accord, his wings started to flap, increasing in speed as time went on. And then, it grew fast enough that his fall in the abyss completely stopped; that feeling was more than enough for Spyro to open his eyes widely and face his situation.

"_You can fly!"_

Quickly he turned himself onto his chest, looking around as he hovered up within the darkness. And finally, a speck of light was shown above him – a pink dot that shone as bright as a shooting star. And so he used his wings to push himself up towards it, ready to reach for its contents.

As it got bigger, it didn't show itself to be an actual star, but rather the edge of the abyss that surrounded the Sorcerer's lair. And just like the randomly bursting rocks from around it, he shot up into the sky, located the Sorcerer and flew towards him to his mind's content.

"How…" the Sorcerer showed an expression of shock at the dragon's recovery. "How did you do that?"

Spyro didn't answer the question. Instead, he hovered further ahead with his wings taking him as close as possible towards the Sorcerer, ready to make a potent move towards his adversary. This was it, he thought to himself. This could be the moment when the magic would come alive.

Confidently, he looked back towards the Sorcerer's lair, which it became nothing more than a fading landmark in the distance. He then assumed that it would be an empty building once he made his finishing moves towards the Sorcerer; flight coupled with a powered up Shadowstone made him feel like an unstoppable force of nature.

"Spyro, look out!" Sparx pointed out to him from the side. "He's sending larger projectiles at you!"

Spyro quickly looked ahead, and right there he saw that Sparx's word was right. Several crystal shards were seen coming his way, all of which significantly larger than those he faced previously as well as looking more dangerous thanks to the electric tips that were placed on their sharpest points.

With extreme caution, he made his flight past them all, making sure to barrel roll some of which that came dangerously close, knocking them out of the way when required. Some of which came close to try to pierce his wing, yet his face showed that he was either barely scratched or able to retain any signs of damage.

And then it wasn't long until they faced a large cloud ahead. The Sorcerer flew straight through it, going through a dense patch of air ahead. As soon as Spyro went through, his view was completely obscured by the mist, leaving his facial expression to show uncertainty as he went through it.

"Maybe it's time I tried to send things up a notch as well!" shouted an almost-too-familiar voice from behind.

Almost out of the blue, he felt a pain pull onto his horns. Having faced the same experience for several previous encounters, he knew that there was only one possible method of knowing what was going on. And his suspicions were confirmed when a familiar tail was brought straight between his eyes.

"Sparx, what are you doing?" he questioned the dragonfly, looking moderately annoyed.

"Sheesh, I'm only trying to be your personal fog light here…"

Sparx growled, knowing that he wasn't being given much credit for almost any amount of help he would grant. He almost repented from his role, but that was before seeing Spyro struggle to keep up with the Sorcerer through the mist… that he knew that he could be required for use after all.

And thus, the dragon's viewpoint had a blistering light from the dragonfly's body projected straight ahead; he now knew that this could be what can be required to try and locate the Sorcerer's shadow, wherever in the thick cloud he could be and whatever kind of trick he could be trying to do.

And finally, he managed to spot what looked like a black mass towards his left. Like a jet fighter, he quickly turned in that direction and started hovering closer to it. A steady advancement soon saw him face to face with the Sorcerer once more, just as when they were about to escape from the cloud.

"It's time I finished you off real good!" he leered back at the dragon as he summoned a combination of black energy balls and icicles. "You're going down!"

Spyro looked on at the lethal combination ahead. Not only would he have to dodge the icicles but he would also need to evade the lethal hitting black balls at the same time. Biting his teeth together, he hovered further ahead and raised his front paws in the air as he did so.

His expectations for the matter were to deflect the black balls and take damage from the icicles, releasing the balls when in a weakened state. And then he did deflect the balls thanks to the banish barrier summoned in front of him, but before he could notice anything else… the icicles were rebounded as well.

"_Not today!"_

Blinking with amazement, Spyro fixed his eyes towards the top of his head. And there, Sparx was seen sitting firmly on top of the dragon's head, in a comfortable position between two of the ridges on his head. His hands were raised in the air, showing that he too was participating in the development of the glowing aura.

The aura soon grew strong enough to absorb the shattered icicle particles into the regenerating balls, and there they started to glow with a golden thunderous power. Yet he held onto it for a little while longer, leaving Spyro to chase the Sorcerer up vertically before letting go.

And when he did, it instantly made its way towards the Sorcerer, whom had absolutely no room to escape. And when struck, he felt the thunderous yet cold particles go straight through his body. Much like the ball that struck Cynder earlier, the ripple was enough to leave his body to go into a state of paralysis.

"Look out!" Sparx quickly reacted to seeing the results of the ball striking him. "The sorcerer's falling towards you!"

The dragonfly's words were absolutely right; there, they saw the Sorcerer's body ceasing in ascending through the air, and slowly yet accelerating in speed over time, he started to make his fall towards the ground – directly falling in the direction of Spyro and Sparx.

The Sorcerer's fall was enough for the pair to end up making their descent far away from the falling monster. While the dragon looked more convinced than ever that he managed to finish him off, his eyes looked as if the fight wouldn't be over yet in more ways than one.

Finally they made their way towards his lair, soaring straight towards the wide open roof panel. Yet they noted that as they went closer, the Sorcerer ended up falling in a different direction – to the left of them, in the direction of the left of the broken window panel.

"Incoming!" the dragon beamed as he outstretched his paws for landing.

Spyro finally made his way inside the large dome inside, landing on all four feet as soon as he got there, coming to a stop with a skid in his step. The feeling of the landing instantly had Sparx widening his eyes - releasing his grip from his horns and hovering on his own record, applauding as he did so.

"Whoo! That's the best landing I've seen from you yet!" he smiled widely as he patted one side of his comrade's head.

Spyro reacted with a warm glance in return. "Thanks, but what do we make of the Sorcerer?"

Sparx hovered close towards the dragon, shrugging as he did so. What was the point in asking a mere travelling accomplice about what might have happened to what was arguably one of the most dangerous adversaries that they might have had the pleasure of coming against?

With the thought steadily coming towards the back of his mind, the dragon started to make his way back towards the open window panel, being careful not to step onto any of the broken glass shards on the way through. One of which ended up being close enough to reach one of his toes, yet he carefully managed to evade stepping into it right at the last minute.

And then he reached the window panel. There he looked straight on ahead, looking at the abyss that surrounded the lair – the eerie, lilac void that surrounded the entire scene, still spewing out burning rocks and light bridges that traversed their way from area to area.

Aside from the sound of the rising boulders and the calmness of the interiors of the room, the entire area was brought straight into silence. Not a single roar or sign of panic was heard around the void; nothing at all aside from this still and tense backdrop.

Steadily over time, Spyro's face started to turn from one of sentiment to one that flowed full of optimism. For he knew, that after everything that he managed to do, after even having to lose Cynder and Ango to the line of fire… that _he had managed to defeat the Sorcerer._

"Is this it?" Spyro asked with wonder, his jaw almost dropping. "He's finally gone?"

The purple dragon focused his attention straight towards Sparx, whom ended up almost speaking directly in front of him. But before he could even make a statement, a rumble was heard above, leaving them to look straight up and see some small rocks falling towards the ground – all breaking from the walls of the lair.

"Spyro, look!" gasped Sparx as he pointed to the ceiling. "The roof is starting to cave in! We need to get out of here as soon as we can!"

Looking hesitant at the sight of seeing bigger slabs break off as they fall, the dragonfly started to hover his way straight towards the exit, but before he could even get through the door… he realised that Spyro wasn't near him. Quickly he turned back and found him in the most likely location – standing around Cynder's body, again.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the dragonfly awkwardly asked him.

"I'm not leaving without Cynder! Ignitus would see it best for us to get her out of here."

"What's the point? She's gone! What's the point in carrying her away from this decaying ruin?"

"We can at least be honorable for her", the dragon clarified the situation for him. "She would have wanted it this way too."

Showing a determined yet sympathetic glare, he took a tight grasp upon Cynder's body and lifted it into the air, using his wings to hover himself up off the ground, ready to transport her straight out of the room. A tight grasp was secured around her before he could even make his way forward.

And then, he made his way towards the double doors that formed as the entrance to the room, exiting almost straight away. That left Sparx remaining behind, his face looking perplexed over Spyro's decision on briefly staying behind – a sacrifice to claim a friend that he once knew, regardless of whether she was dead or alive.

"Okay, why does barely anyone listen to old man Sparx these days?" he frowned briefly, shrugging to himself.

Sparx growled bitterly to himself as he went back towards Spyro, at that point now being able to lift Cynder from the ground. The pair then left the building together, now curious over what would become of it now that the Sorcerer had perished right in front of them.

The question remained in their mind as they made their way down the outdoor steps and through the abyss outside it. As soon as they left, they turned back towards the lair, and right there they saw it crumbling into pieces, with each rock falling into the rubble slowly and gracefully.

The same situation occurred with all the platforms beneath them – whether they were made of rock, light or any other substance. In response, they both made their way back towards the mountain slopes that they came from, the area soon engulfing itself in an intense white light as soon as they left.

* * *

Back at the Dragon Village, the scene remained exactly how it was for moments at a time – Red's sceptre was still left hanging above the peaks of the Professor's home, glowing gently, allowing for temporary brightness to occur with every flash of white and restoration of darkness with every contraction.

Its actions were enough for everyone to focus closer and closer at it, curious over its precise actions beyond attempting to provide a temporary lightshow towards its target audience. Yet it wasn't until a trace of lilac was thrown into the light that things started to become more consistent.

Ignitus focused his attention towards it more than ever, his eyes keen on seeing what was shown through it. There he saw a blur of darker purple shapes, moving among one another, almost clashing valiantly with one another. There, his eyes widened with anxiety, puzzling over its precise meaning.

"Spyro…!"

Ignitus's eyes started to radiate more and more with the flashing sceptre, almost in unison with said instrument. And then, he then noticed that it completely stopped glowing, once again bringing the entire area back into its usual darkened state once again.

"Well, what is it?" Red asked him worryingly.

Lowering his head, he looked towards the ground, observing the darkened village once more. Yet, he noted that not everything was darkened – he saw a single flower brought into view, blowing as if it managed to spring to life on its own accord in spite of the surroundings.

"Look at the world around us", Ignitus softly addressed the surrounding personnel. "The power is being reversed. The Sorcerer's magic has been reverted back."

Red's chest suddenly froze in a mid-inhale. "So that can mean…!"

Ignitus looked back at Red, and then back at the lone growing flower. In response to the Dragon Elder, he looked at him with what looked like a melancholy glance back. And then, he brought it down into a gentle nod, reforming his mouth into a smile in that space of time.

The reaction was enough for confidence to be boosted gently around the personnel once more. Over time it got to the point that some of them started to look more hopeful and optimistic – an almost ironic set of feelings considering the current state of the village.

"Ignitus is right", Hunter gasped deeply as he looked straight up to the sky. "Spyro has killed the Sorcerer!!"

The shout was enough to make its echo across the village. And just like that, a radiant glow was felt, though not from his body but rather radiating from Red's floating staff. And just like that, the entire scene was engulfed in a thick and heavy canvas of white light.

This light persisted for several seconds, before it gently started to fade out. Gone were the remaining traces of any of the Dark Master's monsters that swarmed the area. Even the campfire that they mainly hung out in was peacefully changed to nothing more than a stack of firewood for anyone to use.

The black cloud that once hung over the village soon started to evaporate into nothing but a brilliant vapour of silver gas, soon making a gentle rise towards the sky to form a cloud with a brilliant silver lining. It glistened towards the village with the same radiance as a gentle starlit sky.

And then, the rocks and the red weeds then started to make a radical change upon the village. The moisture of the ground was making its return once more and a brilliant display of grass and flowers then started to take their place among the ground, making the plains look more like a gorgeous plain than the desert than it once felt like.

And finally, a brilliant light made its arrival from above, shining straight down on the village like a spotlight of success. There it was – a round and yellow object floating above them in the sky. The sun had managed to make its return, illuminating the sky in a beautiful color scheme once again.

"I knew I could believe in you! Well done, young dragon!"

Ignitus felt a feeling of joy upon his chest, happy to finally see that the village had been restored. Gone were the traces of the Sorcerer's magic. Gone were all traces of any signs of the power of the Dark Master. Gone was all the suffering that had completely swarmed the area.

It was a fresh start, and the beginning of a new era. The signs of the sun and the grasslands were beautiful enough for many of the civilians beyond the others to soon come out and look straight up towards the beautiful day that managed to hang straight above them.

Some of the residents looked keen enough to be able to return towards their daily business with the market place. Some of which even showed keenness to randomly stop in front of any of the civilians, ready to greet them with a cheery expression that they might have left aside for so long.

Yet it didn't change the fact that they too would remain in awe at the first sign of a beautiful day in so long. And as they looked upon it, they knew that it just can't have arrived as naturally as it did. There had to be a force for them to thank for the scenery's restoration.

Together, they focused their attention straight towards the mountain peaks, and there, they focused their attention directly at the skies that hung above them. A purple glimmer was seen right in front of them, and there, they found their figure to thank. Though that incarnation of Spyro wasn't the one that they knew intimately, they knew that they had to offer their gratitude to him for saving the realm from the Sorcerer's reign of terror.

* * *

Though some of the parts of the mountain's slopes were still as dry and rocky as they were, the flatlands that managed to cover the peaks were soon covered in a faint display of shrubs and exotic plants that were left to grow and breed gently in the newly formed weather.

That was even transferred into the narrow passageways and the enclosed clearings. All the trees in the area were blossomed once again, and all traces of decaying material were left to dissolve and blow in the wind as if they never came to exist at all.

The only material that ended up being left aside, however, was the skeleton of that for the incarnation of Spyro that the village once knew, left untouched inside the tight clearing towards the west of the mountain peaks. Thanks to the blossoming organic life, it was now shown to be fitting to be a hero's resting place.

And as it stood, it looked as if it was fitting to be a resting place for Cynder, if Spyro's eyes were of any indication as he made his way directly over it. Carefully and gracefully, he fluttered his way down towards the ground, twitching his tail as he got closer towards it.

And then he reached the surface, carefully placing Cynder right next to the skeleton before landing. Looking down at her, she looked so peaceful being placed upon her side as she was - as if she was facing a dreamless sleep that she may never wake up from.

"_Promise Ignitus that he will take care of everyone back home. Tell him to stay strong."_

The reminder of her last remark went straight through his mind, leaving him to look up and think about his home at the Dragon Temple. He, Ignitus and the other dragons might end up feeling the same way about Cynder, in spite of the short time that they came to know her.

Several memories flashed right in front of his mind – the fight he had with her corrupted form, soon following into his rescue from Convexity as soon as she was restored, and then going straight through to all the brave moments that they encountered together, side by side – the first time working together as allies…

An upsetting feeling then swirled through his mind – there will never be a chance that he will encounter that situation ever again. The thought soon led to a damp feeling that filled his eyes with anguish before flowing down his snout with a gentle trickle – the form of a pair of small tears.

He maintained his upset expression as he walked further and further away from Cynder and towards the crack in the wall that she, Sparx and Ango previously used to make their entrance into the area. The dragonfly then followed him, showing an equally hurt yet sympathetic expression, clearly understanding of the loss.

And finally, he made his departure from the scene, walking through the hole and making a slow march back towards the Dragon Village. As far as he knew, he saw that the Dragon Realms faced a fresh start all over again, but for him, it was the start of a new type of era – an era where he would reside at the Dragon Temple with a new destiny – a destiny to become the last of the dragon race.

_-end of chapter-_


	11. The Homecoming

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

And so, The Tempest of Trust has almost come to a close. We have the epilogue left to go, and I'm glad there are people sticking by it every step of the way.

There are still some people that were kind of upset over what happened to Cynder I see, but I assure you that what I did was with a good and intent purpose, and I assure you that I will still take the events of The Eternal Night – whichever few we know of so far – to account. The ending is one of the weirdest endings I might have written in a fanfic, but for me it works, especially since the first thing I ever did with this fic was writing out both the first half of the first chapter and the second half of this one.

This is why I barely write sequels to fanfics – people respect stuff and in some cases, with sequels written out, they end up becoming weaker than their previous incarnations. I wrote a few sequels in my time and they were too terrible for hence why I barely do much of the sort. I just see my works as intermissions between games, per se.

And C-Tech, you can flame me all you want for what happened story wise, but your comment was of no help to me. When I'm a writer, I expect criticisms to contain pointers relating to the tone of the fiction and its structure and whatnot, not plot elements that you're not happy with, and ESPECIALLY NOT COMPARISONS TO OTHER WRITERS, one of which I've yet to see break the 1000-word barrier with a chapter in any of their works. I sent you a PM about it a few days ago, and I really hope you took the comments to account at least.

Let's hope that this chapter faces a better reception than the last. Thanks for reading in advance, and please, don't give me another one of those "such-and-such-a-writer is better than you" comments -.-

Peace out,  
-Rexy-

* * *

_And so, once again, peace was brought to the Dragon Realms. The effects of the Sorcerer's magic were undone, and the realm saw its brightest day in what seemed like eons._

_As soon as they saw the last grass reed grow among the ground, the remaining home-ridden residents of the Dragon Village finally took it upon themselves to join the others by stepping outside and looking at what looked like the first peaceful day in forever._

_Not long after that, they returned to their daily business. Yet in that time, they no longer hid their feelings in fear, as they knew that no matter what they did, nothing would ever come to harm them in any shape or form._

_But nevertheless, they knew that the incarnation of Spyro that they knew would never return to the realm. Regardless, they knew that as long as this corrupted evil has been vanquished, they are happy enough to get on with their lives as much as possible._

_As that feeling remained, the other incarnation of Spyro – the one Sparx, Cynder and Ignitus knew – made his return to the village, facing a hero's welcome nonetheless. As soon as he arrived, he faced a greeting from everyone that he encountered during the course of his venture, some of which going as far as to extend a handshake, or even a brash embrace._

_A parade through the streets was soon established, with everyone rejoicing over the Sorcerer's defeat and the beginning a brand new era that was slowly starting to transition around the village. Most of them danced joyfully, yet the purple dragon took the time to watch everything from the rooftops, sitting cosily with Sparx by his side._

_Yet, the major concern that remained on Spyro's mind was the fall of both Cynder and Ango. For the latter, he felt understandable on that it was the power of the Dark Master that resulted into his absorption._

_But for Cynder, a deep scar felt as if it was tearing inside its body. How is it possible to explain her demise in front of the other dragon guardians back at the temple without breaking down, he thought to himself._

_He knew that he did a noble deed for her by leaving her at the same spot where the body for the incarnation of Spyro that the villagers knew was left to decay, but in spite of that, the pain on having to leave her behind was an image that would get firmly etched into his mind for time to come._

_Even if he finally went home, the thought would remain to be a painful souvenir of the entire experience. And if that would be the case, he would have to accept that though he did not want to at all, he technically ended up losing her to the hands of the Dark Master._

* * *

A short spell later, the entire Dragon Village became deserted. Not a single market stall was set up for its daily business, and not a single villager roamed around the streets. Most of the peaceful scenery was left to be untouched in its now restored beauty.

Only a set of fresh footprints remained, and they all lead straight out of the village – specifically through the Eastern gates, which now looked more like an arch than an entrance to confinement from the rest of the realm.

The villagers were seen gathering at the target at the end of the path – the same vortex that Ignitus made his entrance in. Except this time, the Dragon Guardian knew that he would not be going home alone, but rather taking a pair of known accomplices with him.

"This is it, Spyro", he beamed at the purple dragon as he fixed his eyes upon him. "For all your hard work, you're ready to go home!"

Spyro looked on at the vortex, reflecting in his eyes like a jewel in a statue. He knew that after his time of hard work upon the village's restoration, he now felt assuring that he would be able to return home with ease, now knowing that he will leave it behind on high spirits.

He looked back towards the villagers one by one, in the order that he met them – Blink, the Professor, Bianca, Moneybags, Bandit, Ember, Flame, Hunter and Red. He knew that even though he didn't directly know them, he felt good to know that he managed to help out so many personnel all at once, even when trying to aim for his main goal.

"Though you may not be the purple dragon we knew, we've learnt a lot from your experience", Hunter nodded with a grin, holding onto a bow in one of his hands very securely.

"Thanks to you, we'll be ready to defend this realm strongly in your honor", Bianca responded, taking a hold onto Hunter's free hand in the process. "After what you faced out there, you gave the villagers enough courage to move on."

Spyro's attention was focused straight towards the pair, and upon hearing their remark he smiled back at them with a feeling of gratitude. By their peaceful expressions, he knew that the power of trust was a power that felt like a beautiful and warm surge that would stimulate him for whatever future challenges were nearby.

Confidently he turned straight towards the swirling vortex once more. The beautiful purple and pink colors swirling amidst the empty airspace was enough for him to maintain his confidence, yet as quickly as it built up… he soon lost it all again, looking down to the ground again.

"But I can't go back in now", the dragon suddenly frowned again.

"Great, now what's the reason for it?"

Breathing hesitantly, Sparx made his hover straight towards the dragon, pulling tightly upon his horns with a bitter scowl upon his body. Yet, when he looked back at his eyes, he ended up noting a familiar expression that showed that no matter what he shouldn't have been approached the way he was.

"How am I supposed to explain Cynder's fall to everyone?" he questioned worryingly. "I feel as if I'm going to be a traitor to my own kind."

"You're not", reassured Ignitus. "As long as she served well, that's all that matters. I am sure that the guardians will be happy for her involvement."

Softly and steadily, Ignitus lowered his head towards Spyro's and gave him a warm glare in return. His reassuring eyes were enough for the purple dragon to look up towards him, with a mixture of hope and concern starting to flow right across his face.

Thoughts soon started to circulate back towards the first time he escaped from the Sorcerer's lair. Though his thoughts blanked out as soon as he felt the boulder on his head, he felt reassured when he saw a brief illusion of Cynder standing in front of him at the entrance to the Dragon Dojo.

"Now that I think of it, she _did_ save me from the Sorcerer's lair the first time around", Spyro calmed himself with hope coming back into his eyes. "She was among one of the biggest assets to my eventual recovery."

His face soon started to make a change once more – sad because he was leaving Cynder behind, yet happy because without her at the right moment at the right time, he might have never come far enough to achieve what he had achieved.

And with that thought in mind, he turned straight back to the mountain range that stood to the north of the village. Though they looked nothing more than a set of jagged rocks that stood up like upturned mounds in the ground, the sun shining above them gave him a pleasurable feeling, knowing that she was in a safe place after all.

"I may still feel uncomfortable about this, but I'm ready to go anyway", Spyro remarked in a bittersweet vocal tone.

With his face now showing itself to be a successful smile, he made a careful walk straight towards the vortex, his eyes glowing more radiantly than before with every passing step. It wasn't long until Sparx and Ignitus soon joined him side by side, ready to make the journey with the purple dragon.

And finally, they made their way right in front of the portal. The warm energy from inside was welcoming enough for them to make their way straight in; even Sparx was encouraged to go in straight away, but before he could do that, Spyro quickly took a hold of his tail, causing him to remain in place.

The purple dragon quickly glanced behind him. "But before I go…"

He turned straight back to the village personnel, shifting his eyes among them all before focusing straight towards one figure in particular – Red. As calmly as possible, he made his walk straight towards the Elder, before sitting down easily right in front of his feet.

"What is it?" the elder questioned Spyro with a raised eyebrow.

"After seeing your courage via saving us from the scorpion ambush and helping me prepare to fight the Sorcerer, you deserve the right to wield the Shadowstone."

The Elder looked upon Spyro's chest with his expression showing a growth in surprise. All he did to aid him was to help him out of a pair of difficult situations as well as teaching him the Banish technique – how could his efforts end up being worthy of him to wield the Shadowstone?

"You trusted me, Red", Spyro started speaking before Red could attempt to question him. "And in return, I'll trust you, no matter how different we are."

"But don't you need it to fight back home?" the Elder quickly spluttered at the rate of a caffeine-influenced rodent.

"I need to recover the rest of my strength myself. And whenever the Dark Master knocks me down, your hospitality is all I need to get back onto my feet."

Red's expression looked more and more cautious as he looked on at Spyro's eyes. The purple dragon looked so confident to just give the Shadowstone away – obviously something that he might not need anymore, given his brash and bold expression on his face.

Though Red looked convinced that Spyro was better off keeping it as a memoir, he ended up sighing as he crouched down towards his head, bringing one of his hands towards his back. The purple dragon responded with a confident smile, leaving the Elder warm enough to smile back.

"I'll wear this with pride, Spyro", replied Red softly. "I'll look after it carefully."

And so, Red reached out for the amulet, removed it from Spyro's neck and brought it around his own. And there it hung directly over his collar, thus making him look richer than any merchant bear that could have ever wanted to cross his path.

The villagers then applauded widely as they saw the sign of gratitude, all cheering Spyro's name multiple times in succession as he looked on at the Elder and back at the portal. There, he knew that he was ready to venture home in high spirits, as a hero of a distant land.

"Take care, Spyro!" cheered the Professor from the background. "Thank you for your deeds!"

The shout was enough for Spyro to briefly look back towards the more distant personnel. And there his eyes met with Blink and the Professor, whom both waved back with a strong sign of relief upon their faces. Similar expressions were shown upon the other villagers that he met along the way as well, allowing him to warmly glance towards them in return.

And so, with an inner emotion of happiness set in stone, he made his walk back towards the vortex. The swirling winds reflected beautifully in front of his body as he came closer towards it, with a feeling of comfort reflecting its way right across his chest.

He looked to his left, and saw Ignitus stepping his way towards it. And then he looked to his right, where Sparx was already in place, hovering directly to the right of his head. Together they all exchanged smiles as they then jumped inside the vortex all together.

As they went further, the sight of them started to fade with the swirling winds gently and gracefully over time. And as soon as they left their sight, the vortex's shape soon changed, suddenly fading out into nothing more than a single wind stroke that graced south. The way to the Dragon Village was closed in its entirety.

"I'm still going to miss him", Ember faintly sulked, pointing her head to the ground.

"Don't worry, Ember", sympathised Bandit, removing his hat from his head and placing it on top of hers. "As long as we think so much of what he did for us, we'll easily remain strong in the face of danger."

Ember looked straight on at Bandit, his pointed ears gracing most of his hairless head. By the glow in his eyes he meant something by what he said, she ended up thinking quietly. In that time, the armadillo focused his attention towards the Dragon Village, where the daylight skies continued to shine beautifully towards the settlement itself.

Soon, Ember followed his glance and looked on at it. Though it had come to the point that she would never see Spyro again, she ended up looking increasingly more optimistic, glad to see that the new era for the village has made a beautiful enough start as it did.

The absence of said purple dragon still made her slightly uneasy inside, but as soon as she remembered the happier times that she ended up having with him, a beautiful smile shone upon her face. And just like that, so were those upon the other villagers, ready to make their move in the coming era – an era of peace.

* * *

The path through the vortex had exactly the same color scheme faced upon Spyro's initial journey to and from Convexity – a familiar pattern of yellow, blue and white strobe lights surrounded him as he went through the path that would somehow lead back home.

Happy to know that he would return, he left himself to relax as he drifted back the way he came, flying with his eyes closed and taking in the ambient sounds around him. A smile crept on his face – slightly worrying since he was going home without Cynder, but still content nonetheless.

The sounds of the air resistance that was around him was not enough to disturb his thoughts of the great struggle he faced, all the way through beginning with his reunion with Sparx in the cave and following up with every part of the journey that lead up to his third and final confrontation with the Sorcerer.

"I may be going home without Cynder, but this has been a great experience out there", he started speaking to himself.

All of his thoughts and attention went towards everyone that he met on the way, from his first encounter with Blink all the way through to his contact with Red as he assisted him in transportation for brief periods of time. Even Ango was shown as a clear identification in front of him, knowing that in spite of him being just a figment of the Dark Master's imagination he was a great asset to his journey regardless.

"I owe my thanks to everyone that has supported me every step of the way, whether they knew me or the other purple dragon."

All of his thoughts soon concentrated together like a simple picture presentation that ran in his head, all showing the different experiences that he faced in the Dragon Realms. Even his vision of triumph against the Sorcerer was bound to never leave his head at all for time to come.

"Thanks to that experience, I feel so much stronger as an individual, and I feel ready to see what the rest of my destiny has."

A pleasurable feeling went straight through the dragon's body, and with that in mind, he opened his eyes and focused straight towards the tunnel ahead. The colorful strobe lights reflected straight into his eyes as if they were nothing more than bright indoor lighting.

"Sparx, I'm really glad that you managed to stick up for me every step of the way especially", he remarked joyfully while still looking ahead. "We've come so far since living at the swamp, and I'm glad you too are starting to grow as an…"

He looked to his right, expecting to see Sparx. But alas, he was not there. Perhaps he ended up camouflaging himself amidst some of the yellow lights, Spyro thought puzzlingly to himself. Bearing the thought in mind, he allowed for several seconds to pass by.

But in spite of his patience, there was no trace of Sparx making his reappearance from the lights at all. Having noticed that, he then realised that that was the time to start panicking about the situation. He looked up, and then down, and then it was almost certain that the dragonfly was not in his sight anymore.

"Sparx? Where are you?"

He then turned to the left, assuming that he might have ended up hovering alongside Ignitus for some strange reason. But when he turned in that direction, he noted that not only Sparx wasn't there, but the guardian wasn't there either. His face then started to show a subtle shade of pale mauve.

"Ignitus? Ignitus!"

Hastily, Spyro hovered his way towards the left, directly at the spot where Ignitus could have been seen. But there, all he ended up feeling was emptiness, with the strobe lights just acting as a tense mood light flashing upon his flesh.

He then looked in almost every single direction possible, trying his best to locate either of the pair with his own two eyes. They in themselves started to receive added tension as he kept searching up and down the area of the tunnel that he currently was hovering at.

"Where are you guys?" he called out to the pair nervously. "What's going on?"

He then made his way backwards, back the way he came, in the event that he ended up leaving them behind at the Dragon Village's perimeter. But all of his best efforts in going back resulted in him being pushed forward by a gale force, repelling him from the destination entirely.

And so, he had to accept the fact that he was travelling the vortex alone; wherever and whenever Sparx and Ignitus vanished became a deep concern that crept upon his mind as he went further and further ahead. It will be difficult to explain all this alongside losing Cynder to all the other guardians back home, he pondered with his paws shaking with worry.

But then, his thoughts were soon disturbed by the sound of a roar. The tone itself was slightly gritty in texture and sported an alto pitch range; though it would attempt to make him freeze in place, the sound was enough for him to actually show a feeling of surprise rather than fright.

"That roar", he hesitantly reacted towards it. "It… it sounds so familiar…!"

Quickly, he looked straight ahead and tried to locate the source of the sound. But in spite of its clear tone, he was unable to make a clear and identifiable approach towards it, leaving him concerned as if he was floating into an indistinguishable trap of sorts.

And then, all of a sudden the white light at the end of the tunnel started to turn to one of darkness, almost reversing the entire color scheme through to black, indigo and copper-brown. The chilling sight of it left him to start flapping harder and harder towards the end of the vortex.

Desperately, he tried to fight his way through the beckoning darkness, hoping to push his way past the coming black monster that surrounded the exit. All that he could do to try and get past it was to try and counter it regardless of the rate of his full recovery.

And just like that, he made a hasty charge straight towards it, his teeth gritting tightly. His flames didn't do much to its posture though, and his claws ended up going straight through it. All that the monster did was cackle as it continued to make its ambush around the dragon.

And just like that, threads of darkness surrounded the dragon as he was in mid-flight, taking a hold of him around his legs, then his arms, and around his tail, nose and eyes. It got to the point that he was left to be paralysed in its grasp, leaving him with no other choice than to drift wherever the blackness would go, trapped securely in a limp yet flexible canvas.

"_Spyro! Spyro!!"_

The shouts echoed upon his hearing range very brash and vibrantly in spite of his current situation. But then, a strong and bright light soon started to show upon his eyes – a faint golden light that started to grow brighter and brighter with each passing second.

Eventually he saw what looked like a blur of varying shades of yellow and brown directly in front of him. Right in the middle of his field of view was a blur of a black figure – potentially the creature that ended up consuming him while he was riding the vortex?

Piece by piece, the details were soon made out directly in front of him. He witnessed a rounded nose, along with short horns placed around its head. Some faint rounded markings on its forehead were also noted as well as a familiar pair of glowing green eyes – a pair that made him come to a conclusion to the identity of the creature.

"C… Cynder?"

His heart almost skipped a beat. If this was actually Cynder standing right in front of him, did he actually get killed by the thing in the portal and ended up going to heaven? Shakily he looked around from his position; somehow, he found himself lying on the floor – the floor of the Dragon Temple.

"Spyro, I'm so glad you're okay!" the black dragon beamed as she brought her head over him. "I can't believe how much has happened since that storm."

"That… storm?"

Spyro's thoughts were brought straight back to the situation that occurred before he was reunited with Sparx – the vicious storm that swept him away and brought him to the distant land in the first place. By Cynder's words, he knew that he must have missed a lot at the Temple since his departure.

But what was even more incredible was that she was there, standing firmly on all fours. Amazed by that, he quickly brought himself to his feet, his eyes instantly showing a burning desire to hear her secrets into her survival.

"Please, tell me", he looked at her eyes with burning curiosity. "How did you survive the Sorcerer's magic? How did you know I was waiting to be rescued back at the…"

Cynder's face looked blank. "Wait just a second. Who is this 'sorcerer' you're talking about? And the only rescuing we did of you was when you got stuck in that tree during the storm."

Spyro took a step back, looking dumbstruck. He clearly remembered having Cynder stand by her every step of the way during his venture, yet how could it have come to her claiming that he ended up falling inside the trunk of a tree for a strange and unknown reason?

"Cynder's right", remarked Ignitus as he entered the room. "Not long after you were swept away from the temple entrance, you were sent into the air and launched straight into the hollow of a tree at the other side of the clearing. When the storm died down, we recovered you."

"You were unconscious at the time", Cynder continued the clarification. "That must have been a few hours ago."

The purple dragon looked on at the pair, his eyes widening. And then he looked on at the entrance to the temple, where he was only just able to notice a cherry blossom broken into half, the leaves from what used to be the top being left to rest on the ground with an uneasy maroon color in the evening light.

The sight left Spyro able to having to admit the truth. Having understood the situation, it seemed as if he had to accept the fact that he got trapped inside a tree and knocked his head so hard to have the 'experience' in the first place. But in spite of that, the vision rung hard in his mind like a real-life experience would usually do.

"I still swear that what I saw felt so real", he frowned as he looked at the ground. "This… painful vision of a distant land and a realm needing help…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ignitus made a stride to his left. "I think it would help if you explained everything inside the dojo, Spyro. I sense a cold wind coming."

The guardian looked his way straight outside, and true to his word, he saw something starting to make the decaying leaves rustle. A gentle wind blew, causing them to start separating from each other leaf by leaf, as they drifted straight into the distant horizon.

Though the wind wasn't necessarily as strong as the hurricane, Spyro accepted Ignitus's point and walked back towards Cynder. But in spite of him being in the comfort of the two dragons once again, he still had the urge to explain his experiences.

Together, all three made their way inside another room of the temple – the dojo, marked by a large dragon statue in the middle of it. And as they did so, the wind from outside picked up; though it was nowhere near the powerful gale force winds that occurred hours ago, it was still powerful enough to send dust into the air and leaves blowing in a single direction.

* * *

About half an hour passed since the winds picked up again and the three dragons entered the dojo. Right under the central statue's right wing, the purple dragon explained every last detail in front of them, from his entrance through a southern cave all the way through to the end.

Upon the mention of their own involvement to some extent, Cynder and Ignitus looked upon one another, both of which looking amazed over how such a vision could end up towing them both into the situation. The black dragon herself looked equally amazed yet disturbed, especially when she ended up hearing on how she ended up dead in front of the Sorcerer.

As soon as the last detail was explained, Spyro lowered his head straight to the ground, breathing quickly. Having looked on at his valiant yet painful expression, Ignitus looked on at him with a calm yet surprising smile.

"So, that's the vision you had", Ignitus responded with a thorough understanding. "That sounds interesting. I never thought there could be another purple dragon named Spyro, just like you."

The purple dragon responded with a confused nod of the head. "Does it mean anything, Ignitus?"

Ignitus looked on at Spyro, almost eager to try and answer his question. That left him to sit in silence, trying to think about the scenario altogether, yet in spite of his closest thoughts to the situation, he resulted with having to lower his head, almost frowning in a response.

"I may be able to read peoples' minds, but I'm not so sure about interpreting visions. But from what you faced, it might be a slight battle scar from what you faced with Cynder back at Convexity."

"I don't think it's that", the black dragon frowned. "Given that he stated that I made a valiant sacrifice for him, I am sure that it has something more to do with the future."

Cynder's confident response was almost enough for Spyro to show concern. How could a vision end up linking towards something that could happen in the future, especially with one that felt as random as it was? Curious, he stood up and made a brief step towards the black dragon.

"What do you mean about this future?" he asked her curiously.

"If you want to think about the future, all that you can do is let it come to you", Ignitus hastily answered for her. "If there were any lessons you 'learnt', be sure to use them to your full potential."

As quickly as he previously stood up, Spyro sat down once more, taking in Ignitus's words. Everything he remembered from the vision crept back to him, as he thought so much about every single highlight that he managed to recap from the entire experience.

Putting everything together, he finally gave off a confident smile and once again stood up, making a steady pace across the temple as he did so, looking on at his peers with a confident eye as he did so. He soon came to a stop just before he ended up heading out towards the arch that lead towards the balcony.

"If there's anything I learnt out there", Spyro started remarking once more, "it's the power of trust that makes someone strong, not the amount of power that you initially had to begin with."

Smiling more confidently than the usual, he turned straight back towards the balcony and started approaching it slowly. Having witnessed that, both Cynder and Ignitus started to follow him towards the door; yet before they would get through, the purple dragon quickly brought up one of his front paws, causing them to stop in their tracks.

"Bearing that in mind, I'm going to use that experience to the maximum potential. I'm ready to use it in whatever move that the Dark Master could launch next."

Looking on at the sky, maintaining a field of positive energy as shown in his eyes, he proceeded to make his way towards the end of the balcony. And right there he witnessed what looked like a spectacular view of the islands and surrounding area ahead, all illuminated in a breathtaking blue and red twilit sky.

One by one, the stars started to make their emergence straight towards his field of view. It even got to the point that one of them was left to shoot its way across the upper field of the sky, leaving behind a glittery trail of gold and silver behind it as it descended.

"Do you hear me?" he called out with a more powerful booming voice than before. "Whenever you send your next move, or whenever your army sends your next move, I'll be there. And I'm not going to do this for myself either."

He then paused in place, and as he did so, he shifted his attention directly towards his chest. Though he somehow came to realise that he didn't physically touch the Shadowstone, he knew that the time he had when donning it in the vision was enough for him to believe in the true source of his strength.

"As long as I have belief from my companions by my side, I'm ready to take you on!"

Proudly, he took a closer step towards the balcony and placed both of his front paws there, before lifting himself onto his hind legs from there. His tail twitched gently from side to side as he continued to witness the beautiful spectacle of the evening sky around him.

Back inside, Cynder and Ignitus watched on at the dragon as they saw him doing what he did. Just as when they saw him land securely on both feet again, they turned to one another – both of them were looking equally hopeful having seen the purple dragon's spectacle.

"You know, he might just have the capability to defeat him yet", Cynder pleasantly smiled as she looked on at the Guardian.

"I might be sure about that. But the least we can do at this stage is to wait and see his power return first. Then, we may see a hero in the making."

Quickly, Ignitus turned back to Spyro, whom by then was back on all fours. A strong breeze drifted by the purple dragon, leaving his wings to flutter gently by them. Yet in spite of the obvious trace of the weather's effects on his body, he knew that he was to witness a bit more from the dragon.

"Or with the way he managed to describe his vision, we may even see a _legend_ in the making."

The remark was enough for Cynder to almost drop her jaw, turning back towards Ignitus with a widened pair of eyes, looking equally curious about his statement. All she got in return was the usual soft glance that she would expect from the Dragon Guardian.

But in spite of seeing the usual glance, she somehow knew from it that his words would obviously mean something. Whether it would relate to a future venture or a different kind of experience altogether was something that remained tightly inside his mind.

For now, the least that they could do was watch on ahead, as Spyro calmly stood over the balcony, looking out to the scene below him, his eyes confidently shifting from side to side as they witnessed the dazzling stars and clear views of the sky above his own head.

They knew that the storm that passed gave him an experience that they may not have been physically a part of, yet it was something that could help him grow with experience as he makes his true recovery from the long and dangerous fight with Cynder at Convexity.

But regardless of how much their input was granted, they knew that even if they weren't involved in his experience physically aside from recovering him from the tree, they would take his words to heart and allow him to use his experiences for the future – the resulting moral learnt from the previous tempest; _the Tempest of Trust._

"_**May the ancestors look after you. May they look after us all."**_

* * *

**Epilogue**

**Hunter the Cheetah** went on to become an archery instructor, teaching all sorts of creatures to learn the art of the bow and arrow. While most of his students were cheetahs just like himself, most of them were able to become precise archers and join in scavenger hunts at the end of every month.

**The Professor** followed his goal to create all sorts of gadgets to add to the safety of the Dragon Realms. His ideas of installing sense-tracking cameras made things sound intimidating at first, but once some of the younger dragons faced an increase in stamina in front of them he knew that he was on for a powerful gadget to benefit the realm.

**Moneybags** went back into business with his shops. Even though the Spyro he knew wasn't there to buy most of his material anymore, his profits went through the roof as soon as biographies based on the purple dragon hit the shelves. The last time he was heard from, he managed to buy a fifth home along the beaches of Avalar.

**Bianca **learnt to channel magic herself, not to try and possess the Dark Master, but rather sense the intensions of the dark monstrosity of the past. Her care made her able to deflect his magic, thanks to additional assistance with Red when she made closer contact to him.

**Ember** learnt to carve statues with her own two hands, becoming a well recognised mason across the Dragon Realms. Her sculptures of the people she knew across the realm were strong sellers, and made her well recognised as a dragon with a heart of gold, or in the case of herself, precious stones.

**Flame **decided to follow Spyro's footsteps and become a dragon soldier. He became a recent recruit into the dojo, learning all sorts of magical techniques from the elders. However, he is still yet to practice the egg technique; the last time he tried to transform into an egg, he pulled through as a chicken for reasons unknown.

**Blink the Mole** returned to his habit for looking for treasure underground. While most of it ended up being transferred to Moneybags, he was happier than ever now that he managed to go below ground, just for the sake of nostalgia flowing within his body.

**Bandit** returned to his native Cliff Town and told the tale of the Sorcerer's defeat to everyone that lived there. Having been given hope from seeing Spyro's assault upon the Sorcerer, he decided upon himself to start training to become a sheriff. Ember, of course, managed to stand by his decision.

**Red the Dragon** used the Shadowstone to his own capability, ready to use it to either teach younger dragons the art of Dragon Kata in a more efficient manner, or to help Bianca with her magic channelling. Since returning to the dojo, his happiness in his role has been growing and growing with every passing day.

Since the end of the reign of terror granted from **the Sorcerer**, all that the villagers would wish to know of him were the tasks that he pulled off to attack the village with, and how they were all thrown back with such great accuracy by any warriors that came to approach him.

Whether this in question would refer to the incarnations of **Spyro and** **Sparx** as they originally knew them, or the incarnations that came to them from the vortex, they would know that no matter what, there will no longer be any damage granted towards their kingdom in any shape or form.

For all they knew, the assault on the Sorcerer has resulted in a long-lasting era of peace and tranquillity. And even if perils open up again, they know that under the influence of their departed heroes, they will be able to fight on in levels of courage that would be able to match up with them.

For them, it was a time to move on and a fresh start to life once again…

* * *

The twilit sky that hung above the temple suddenly started to turn to a night sky, illuminating with a wide assortment of stars that hung brilliantly above the ground. Each of them shone down among the fauna like a faint set of spotlights, illuminating the scenery with a subtle mood around them.

Spyro remained on the balcony, looking out ahead, his thoughts continuing to focus on the venture. With that in mind, his mind soon focused onto another task – trying to discover the Dark Master's next move. It wasn't long until Cynder started to make her approach from nearby, looking equally curious over whether he managed to locate anything yet.

Meanwhile, in a not-so-nearby forested area, the mushrooms that graced it were lit with a sign of wonder, showering light around the area in an eerie lilac color scheme against the incoming darkness. It wasn't to say that the entire clearing was to be brought into silence, however.

"_If you go out in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise, if you go out in the woods today…"_

Sparx was seen hovering around the area on his own accord, a glowing yellow and white light from his body being all he needed to see around him at the coming late hour. His rough singing tone could end up being enough to startle any small insect that would crawl on any nearby tree that he passed.

But then, his motions ceased as soon as he came towards the end of the clearing that he was currently in. And right ahead of him, he brought his eyes straight towards what looked like a structure ahead of him. It reflected in his eyes subtly as he looked straight up at it with wonder.

"What…" his jaw dropped at the sight of the building. "What is this thing?"

He quickly hovered through a pair of trees, and witnessed the spectacle in full. Standing right there was a temple, looking no different than the Dragon Temple that the dragons gathered and resided in together, especially in color scheme and its general majesty.

Yet, the general architecture resembled a significantly more gothic feel to it. The sight of it was enough for the dragonfly to be left trembling slightly, knowing that it might get worse if there was the slim possibility of any kind of creature that would reside inside it.

Regardless of its structure, he carefully approached it, trying his best not to disturb any of the scenery that surrounded him in the process. And just as when he managed to get up close to the stone panels that formed the interior, he started to circle around it, bringing his arms out, feeling the walls as they were.

"This place looks awkwardly different… whatever it is."

All of a sudden, his hands suddenly touched a hard yet awkward surface. He quickly stopped, and saw that he was looking straight towards the sight of a wooden plank embedded inside the building. Quickly, he tore it off and read it as it was – all he sensed was some ancient language, yet by instinct he knew the location that he was facing – the _Temple of Souls._

The strange structures were enough for Sparx to look on at it with a perplexed state of mind, placing one of his hands on his chin to analyse the scene. Yet before he could even do that, the sound of the ocean waves were enough to completely distract his own attention.

And there, he saw a boat make its parking towards a distant cliff side – a wooden boat with a large mast, looking just like some of the wooden ships when encountered on the way to Dante's Freezer not too long ago. The boat wasn't entirely empty though – out came a strange furred creature that almost resembled a monkey in posture, but had more canine and lupine qualities to it, donning an eye patch, a bandana and all sorts of hunting garments around its body.

"This creature", he raised an eyebrow at its peculiar getup. "It looks strange. What did mom call these mythical beings again… _pirates?"_

Sparx blinked at the sight of the coming creature making its way towards the scene. Yet he didn't realise that it would come with friends, and as soon as its five-person army was settled onto the ground in full, he quickly shivered in place, looking around and feeling around for a means to counter the situation himself.

And so he flew towards a nearby tree, where luckily enough there was a small hole that led inside its stump. Hesitantly, he made his way deep inside, completely covering himself by the darkness that filled much of the interior.

He brought his head out, and saw the pirates coming closer and closer towards the temple, each of which looking as devious as the next. Then it got to the point when four of the pirates remained in place meters away from the temple, leaving the ring leader to approach it alone.

"Do I tell Spyro about this?" he muttered quietly to himself, still trembling gently. "Do I tell _anyone?_"

Cautiously he looked straight towards the scene and then back towards the path he came. Though the Dragon Temple could only just be made out in the distance, he knew that it would be a long journey back whether he wanted to share the news or not.

Before he could even come to a conclusion on how he would approach the situation, his eyes were met towards the pirate ringleader once again. And there, he quickly gestured towards the dragonfly, almost shrieking in place as if he managed to spot him from nearby.

"Get him!"

"Oh, CRUD!" Sparx exclaimed, knowing that he was to soon get caught. "Get away from me!"

In a quick reaction, the ringleader pointed his hand straight towards the tree. And there, the other four creatures started to make their rush straight towards Sparx, now obviously shown inside the tree thanks to the glow that radiated from around his body.

Quickly, he made his haste from straight out of the hollow of the tree, hovering his way straight towards the forestry that he initially came from. There, the henchmen ended up chasing the dragonfly straight inside the area, with swords drawn out, ready to make their strike towards him.

Faster and faster, Sparx continued to hover through the thick forestry, trying to escape from the clutches of the coming creatures, all of which doing their very best in running while slashing various trees down for the cause of getting towards their target quicker.

The dragonfly kept hovering and hovering away, until… he ended up crashing face first into a nearby rock face. As soon as he recovered himself, he looked on at it, seeing that he ended up bringing himself into a shallow crevice into a nearby cliff side.

He looked behind him, and right away, he saw his eyes getting met with all four of the henchmen, with their leader coming from right behind him. The sight of the steel blades, ready to shed his blood, was enough for him to shiver right at the sight of them and the coming ambush.

Knowing that there was no escape, he had to accept the fact that the swords would have to take his life, removing all of his knowledge of the Well of Souls as well as every memory he had. And almost as quickly as he thought of that, a blade ended up swiping its way straight towards his neck.

"_Yeeeargh!!!"_

Sparx suddenly felt himself sit up in place, gasping for breath. Looking around his surroundings, he saw himself lying on an upturned leaf that was lying upon the grassy ground beneath him, located two hill climbs away from the Dragon Temple.

Was the vision that he saw meaningful in any method whatsoever? Thinking about the entire situation, the pirates felt so real in front of him, and so did the Well of Souls. And was it something that he would explain to Ignitus, a potential candidate to interpret such visions?

With that feeling creeping over his mind, he brought himself away from the leaf and hovered away from it – where he was hovering to, no one knew. For all that remained firm on Sparx's mind was the events that occurred during his vision.

It was the beginning of an experience that could haunt his mind. And with the way the sky was looking, the vision was a trigger to force him towards a night with fear and discomfort - an _eternal night_.

* * *

The Tempest of Trust _fanfiction is © Bev Wooff (Rexy) 2007. _Spyro _is ™ and © Sierra Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved._


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